As US warships and troops mass in the Middle East, US Vice President JD Vance delivered a blunt message to Tehran: don’t mistake diplomacy for weakness.
Speaking to Fox News a day after President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to build a case against Iran, Vance said Washington’s threats of military action should be taken “seriously.”
“You can’t let the craziest and worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons,” Vance said on America’s Newsroom, underscoring the administration’s hard line.
Trump had told Congress that Iran was seeking to develop missiles capable of striking the United States. He also accused the Islamic republic of harboring sinister nuclear ambitions and attempting to rebuild a nuclear programme that was targeted by US strikes last year.
Negotiators from Iran are scheduled to meet US officials in Geneva on Thursday, even as Washington presses ahead with fresh sanctions under what it calls a “maximum pressure” campaign. A flight carrying Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his team arrived late Wednesday in Geneva, where they will meet American officials led by special U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.
Vance said Trump preferred a diplomatic resolution but made clear that military action remains on the table.
“The President has a number of other tools at his disposal to ensure this doesn’t happen,” Vance said. “He’s shown a willingness to use them and I hope the Iranians take it seriously in the negotiations tomorrow because that’s certainly what the president prefers.”
He added that the administration was hopeful that we’re able to come to a good resolution without the military but if we have to use the military the president of course has that right as well.
Asked whether removing Iran’s supreme leader was also an aim, Vance said that Trump would “make the decision about how to ensure Iran does not have a nuclear weapon.” If the talks fail, uncertainty hangs over the timing of any possible attack.
IRAN CALLS TRUMP’S REMARK BIG LIES
Meanwhile, Iran pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s pressure tactics ahead of the Geneva talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, with officials alternating between dismissing his comments as “big lies” and suggesting negotiations could still produce an agreement through “honorable diplomacy.”
Trump has repeatedly warned that the United States could strike Iran if talks collapse. Regional governments fear any attack could trigger a broader conflict, especially as tensions from the prolonged Israel-Hamas war continue to simmer.
Iran has already warned that all US military bases in the Middle East would be considered legitimate targets in the event of hostilities, placing tens of thousands of American service members at risk.
Satellite images captured Tuesday by Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by The Associated Press appeared to show US naval vessels typically docked in Bahrain — home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet — deployed at sea. The 5th Fleet referred questions to US Central Command, which declined to comment.
According to the Associated Press, the West and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Iran had a nuclear weapons programme until 2003. Before the June attack, it had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
Responding to Trump, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei sought to compare him to Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler’s propaganda minister. He accused Trump and his administration of conducting a “disinformation & misinformation campaign” against Iran.
With inputs from Associated Press
