On Monday, Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, emphasized in an interview with the media that progress has been made in the US-Iran negotiations, and the future situation will depend on Tehran’s actions. Vance also pointed out that one of the reasons for ending the Islamabad talks was that the US found out that the Iranian negotiators lacked the authority to make decisions on the spot and had to report back to Tehran, unable to finalize agreements then and there.
Vance, in an interview with Fox News on Monday, refuted claims from the public about the negotiations being “unsuccessful” or “failed”.
“I don’t think things are going poorly, quite the contrary, we have made a lot of progress. They are moving towards the direction we hope for, so I’d say we are seeing some positive signs, but they haven’t come far enough,” he told host Bret Baier.
Vance revealed that the main reason the first round of talks did not reach an agreement was due to limited authorization of the Iranian delegation. He also mentioned that this negotiation process has clarified for the US who holds decision-making power in Tehran.
“We have gained some information about the negotiation tactics of the Iranian people. Ultimately, this was why we left Pakistan,” he explained. “We found out that the team present at the negotiations couldn’t agree. They needed to go back to Tehran and obtain approval from the Supreme Leader or other officials to accept the terms we proposed.”
“Since we believe that this team and the current timetable cannot reach an agreement, we have let them return to Tehran while we return to Washington, which is the situation we find ourselves in today,” he said.
“I believe that it is indeed possible to reach a significant agreement (Grand Deal),” Vance stated. US negotiators have clearly expressed in the talks that if Iran can be seen as a “normal country” with a “normal economy,” President Trump will be “very pleased”, but this depends on whether the Iranian side is willing to take the next steps.
Although Vance did not further clarify the specific details and criteria of what being “normal” entails, he emphasized that the US hopes to see the prosperity and success of the Iranian people.
Vance also stated that the US’s “red line” remains unchanged, that Iran absolutely cannot possess nuclear weapons. This includes two core demands: removing all enriched uranium from Iran and establishing a credible verification mechanism. This is considered one of the biggest points of contention in the current US-Iran negotiations.
“If our red line is met, it would be a very, very good agreement for both countries,” he said.
Despite Iran’s repeated claims that its nuclear program is peaceful, Tehran has continued to advance steps toward developing nuclear weapons, including enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels and developing long-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, prompting the US to launch Operation Epic Fury.
Another major focus of the negotiations is the right of passage in the Strait of Hormuz. Vance said, “What they (the Iranians) are doing is launching this economic terrorism against the world. They are essentially threatening any ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.”
“Well, as demonstrated by the President of the United States, this is not a tactic only they will use.”
Vance also accused Iran of trying to “move the goalposts” during the negotiation process, failing to fully comply with previous commitments in the ceasefire agreement regarding the reopening of the strait.
Trump has ordered a naval blockade of all Iranian ports and issued a stern warning that Iranian fast boats are not to approach the US military blockade line or they will face consequences.
Vance stated that this provides “additional economic leverage” and emphasized that the US has military superiority.
According to reports from the Associated Press, while the first round of negotiations did not yield clear results, there are indications that both the US and Iran are discussing holding a second round of face-to-face talks in Islamabad or Geneva before the ceasefire agreement expires on April 22. While the location and time are yet to be finalized, the talks might take place on Thursday.
Trump also hinted that Iran has reached out proactively, expressing a desire to reach an agreement.