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‘Takes two to Tango’: JD Vance on US-Iran peace talks, says ‘good progress’ made; military action is ‘option B’
Despite the hopes for a deal, Vance said the US is "locked and loaded". He said, "We don't want to go down that pathway, but we will if we are pushed to."
"It takes two to Tango," said US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday when asked about the developments in the peace talks with Iran during a press briefing at the White House. He said that the two sides have made a "lot of progress," and are in a "pretty good spot."
His remarks come shortly after President Donald Trump told reporters that he would maybe wait for two or three days before renewing the offensive against Iran. Follow US-Iran war live updates
Trump said he hoped not to do the war, but that the US "may have to give them (Iran) another big hit."
Speaking at the White House press briefing, Vance said he spoke to the President about the ongoing situation in Iran, adding that Trump simply mentioned two propositions.
First, Iran "can never have a nuclear weapon", and second, if talks don't reach fruition, then the US can restart the military campaign to achieve America's objectives.
However, Vance said, that is not what President Trump wants, nor is it what the Iranians want.
The vice president justified Washington's condition to Iran and said that it is not just that Tehran can't have nuclear weapons, but also about what could happen if they did. Vance said everyone would be less safe if every other country stepped out and got a nuclear weapon.
He said that Iran would be one such country, defining the threats that Tehran's nuclear weapons could pose if they were achieved. "They could themselves use it, or could leverage it for economic negotiations, or for control," Vance added.
Vance said that the US and Iran have made a "lot of progress" in the peace talks, adding that the Iranians want to make a deal. "We are in a pretty good spot," the vice president added.
He further told reporters that President Trump has asked his team to aggressively negotiate with Iran, citing his hectic back-and-forth travel to Pakistan's Islamabad for talks. "We wanted to show good faith," Vance said, referring to the negotiations in Islamabad.
Vance said Trump's option B is to restart the military campaign to achieve America's objectives. But that's not what Trump wants, Vance stated, adding that, "We want to reset ties."
"It takes two to Tango," Vance said. This remark was in reference to the US-Iran peace talks, to both sides acting in good faith regarding their demands from each other.
Despite the hopes for a deal, Vance said that the US is "locked and loaded". The vice president said, "We don't want to go down that pathway, but we will if we are pushed to."
Trump holds off attack on Iran
On Monday, Donald Trump said he was holding off the scheduled attacks on Iran at the request of the premiers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
He said the leaders of the Gulf nations told him that serious talks were taking place now, assuring him that a "deal will be made."
Trump said that the deal would definitely include the "no nuclear weapons for Iran" condition.
However, the US President said that he had asked the military to remain prepared for a full-scale offensive against Iran in case a deal is not reached.
