US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday said, “You can’t let the craziest and the worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons,” asserting that the Trump administration is determined to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear capability while maintaining that President Donald Trump still prefers a diplomatic solution.
In an interview with Fox News, Vance said President Donald Trump was seeking a diplomatic resolution even as negotiations with Tehran continue.
“And it’s very simple. I think most Americans understand that you can’t let the craziest and worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons. That’s what the president is accomplishing. That’s what the president has set as our goal. He’s going to try to accomplish it diplomatically. But as we all know, Bill, the president has a number of other tools at his disposal to ensure this doesn’t happen. He’s shown a willingness to use them, and I hope the Iranians take it seriously in their negotiations tomorrow, because that’s certainly what the president prefers.”
Vance also said, “We have to get to a position where Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, cannot threaten the world with nuclear terrorism.”
He added separately, “You can’t let the craziest and the worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons.”
His remarks come days after he said Iran had not yet accepted all of Trump’s “red lines” following a second round of talks in Geneva, Switzerland. At the time, Vance said the discussions had produced mixed results, noting that while both sides agreed to continue talks, Tehran was not prepared to acknowledge key US demands.
The negotiations, mediated by Oman, are aimed at averting potential US military action over Iran’s nuclear programme. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said after the Geneva meeting that Tehran and Washington had reached agreement on “guiding principles” for a possible deal, though he cautioned that narrowing differences would take time.
For years, Iran has sought relief from sweeping US sanctions, including restrictions on its oil exports, as part of any broader agreement with Washington.
