JD Vance dismisses Iran’s peace talks denial, says ‘other options’ open if diplomacy fails | World

US Vice President JD Vance has dismissed Iran’s public denial of ongoing peace negotiations with Washington, describing Tehran’s stance as a “Persian negotiating tactic” while asserting that the United States remains in a strong position irrespective of the outcome of the talks. 

Speaking on The Michael Knowles Show, Vance said technical-level discussions between the US and Iran were continuing despite Tehran’s repeated claims that no peace talks were underway. According to him, these discussions are building on negotiations that have already taken place.

“There were scheduled talks, really technical talks, building on the negotiation that we’ve already had. Those are definitely happening tomorrow,” Vance said.

He expressed frustration over Iran’s public messaging, saying the country’s officials deny peace talks while simultaneously acknowledging technical discussions related to a peace agreement. 

“They’ll say, ‘No, no, there aren’t peace talks ongoing, but there are technical talks between the United States and Iran about the peace deal.’ It’s a Persian negotiating tactic and a Persian rhetorical device that I don’t understand,” Vance said.

In a separate interview with Fox News, Vance said the United States is placing greater emphasis on Iran’s actions than its public statements as negotiations continue.

“We care a lot less about what the Iranians say. We care a lot more about what they do,” he said.

Vance added that Washington has observed both encouraging and concerning developments from Tehran; any binding agreement would necessitate “real concessions” from the Iranian leadership. 

He said President Trump has instructed officials to continue pursuing negotiations while keeping other options available if diplomacy does not succeed.

“What the president has told us is to work on the problem, see where the negotiation is going to lead, and if it doesn’t lead to a successful resolution on the diplomatic side, we still have a lot of optionality,” he said.

Mediation discussions carried out in Doha

White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Doha after US President Donald Trump announced that Iran had requested a meeting in the Qatari capital. 

Iran denied that any direct negotiations with the US were scheduled in Doha. Instead, Tehran said the discussions would focus on implementing the provisions of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) through Qatari mediation.

Reiterating Washington’s position, Vance said the United States continues to enjoy a strategic advantage and remains confident about its leverage in the negotiations. 

Written by Jitisha Parihar. Jitisha is an intern with IndiaTV Digital.

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