US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday stated that President Donald Trump is still pursuing a diplomatic resolution with Iran but remains prepared to resume military action if nuclear negotiations fail.
Diplomacy and Military Preparedness
Addressing reporters during a White House briefing, Vance confirmed that the Trump administration is engaging in good-faith negotiations while making it unequivocally clear that Iran will never be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon.
"It takes two to tango," Vance remarked, as reported by Fox News. "We are not going to have a deal that allows the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon."
Quoting President Trump, the Vice President warned that Washington is ready to restart military operations if diplomatic efforts collapse. "So as the president just told me, we're locked and loaded," Vance said. "We don't want to go down that pathway. But the president is willing and able to go down that pathway if we have to."
Two Possible Outcomes
Vance outlined two potential scenarios: a negotiated settlement or renewed military action. "We think the Iranians want to make a deal," he stated. "The president of the United States has asked us to negotiate in good faith. And that's exactly what we've done."
However, he stressed that diplomacy would not compromise Washington's core demand regarding Iran's nuclear program. "There's an option B, and the option B is that we could restart the military campaign to continue to prosecute the case, to continue to try to achieve America's objectives," Vance explained. "But that's not what the president wants. And I don't think it's what the Iranians want either."
Trump's Pause on Military Strike
The Vice President's remarks came a day after Trump revealed he had paused plans for a major military strike on Iran due to signs of progress in talks. "We were getting ready to do a very major attack, and I put it off for a little while — hopefully maybe forever," Trump said at the White House on Monday. "There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out."
Trump also expressed a preference for a diplomatic breakthrough over military escalation. "If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I'd be very happy," the US president said.
No 'Forever War'
During Tuesday's briefing, Vance rejected suggestions that any future conflict with Iran would become a prolonged engagement. "This is not a forever war," he asserted. "We're going to take care of business and come home."
The Vice President further noted that the United States and Iran have made 'a lot of progress' in negotiations and reiterated that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons remains Washington's primary objective. "We want to keep the number of countries that have nuclear weapons small, and that's why Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," Vance concluded.
