US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday (local time) said that Washington made a lot of progress in talks with Tehran in Islamabad on ending the West Asia war and it is now up to the latter to take action.
While speaking in interview with Fox News, the US Vice President said that Washington had clearly outlined its expectations and was now waiting for Iran to respond.
“We made very clear, look, these are the things that we’re willing to give, but these are the things that we must have. We must have the enriched material out of Iran. We must have their conclusive commitment to not develop a nuclear weapon,” he told the news outlet.
“And I think that if the Iranians are willing to meet us there, then this can be a very, very good deal for both countries.
If they’re not willing to meet us there, that’s up to them,” he added.
Vance led a delegation that met with Iranian officials in Pakistan over the weekend, but the talks ended without securing a deal to end the more than five-week US-Israel-Iran war.
The negotiations, which came amid ongoing tensions in the region, focused heavily on Iran’s nuclear programme. Vance said the United States has two key non-negotiable demands: that Iran give up its stockpile of enriched uranium and agree to strict verification measures to ensure it does not develop nuclear weapons in the future.
“It’s one thing for the Iranians to say they won’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s another thing for us to ensure that through proper mechanisms,” he said.
The US is also pushing Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been disrupted during the conflict. Vance warned that the direction of negotiations could change if Tehran does not allow free movement through the key waterway.
“We need to see the Straits of Hormuz fully open, and this is frankly one of the thing where the Iranians tried to move the goalposts during the negotiation, we made very clear that that’s unacceptable,” he said.
He acknowledged that the ongoing crisis has led to rising energy prices, affecting consumers, but said the administration is working to ease the pressure. “We know the American people are hurting… we’re negotiating aggressively to bring energy prices down,” he said, while accusing Iran of engaging in “economic terrorism” by disrupting global supply.
Despite the lack of a breakthrough, US officials say diplomatic efforts are ongoing and further talks remain possible under the current ceasefire. Vance said a deal could benefit both sides if Iran agrees to the conditions laid out by Washington, adding that the decision ultimately rests with Tehran.
The Vice President also commented on criticism from Pope Leo XIV, saying the Vatican should focus on moral guidance while US policy decisions remain with American leadership.
“I certainly think that in some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality… and let the President United States stick to dictating American public policy,” Vance said amid an escalating row between Trump and Pope Leo over Iran.
