JD Vance: Iran Talks Will Be “Messy” and Time-Consuming
US Vice-President JD Vance characterised Iran’s leadership as fractured and challenging to engage with, stating on Wednesday that negotiations with Tehran would be a complex and “messy” process that would “take some time” to achieve a resolution. He emphasised that Washington would employ military, economic, and diplomatic tools to ensure a favourable outcome. In an interview, amid renewed diplomatic engagements with Iran following a hiatus in hostilities after the collapse of the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding, Vance noted that divisions within Iran’s leadership have complicated resolution efforts, with certain factions advocating for an end to the conflict while others persist in their commitment to ongoing hostilities. “The Iranians are extraordinarily difficult people. Number two, they have a fractured system. So there are people within their system who want the war to be over; there are also people within their system who are crazy radicals who want the war to continue,” Vance told. “Our job is to navigate through that and get the best outcome for the American people, but for the President of the United States as well,” he added.
Vance indicated that any prospective agreement with Iran would not materialise swiftly, yet he conveyed assurance that the United States would fulfil its goals. “And I do think that where we will ultimately land–it’s going to be messy and it’s going to take some time to get there–where we will ultimately land, you see, oil, I think, was at $79 today. Those oil prices are going to come down and stay down. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, and the United States will be in a stronger position,” he said. The Vice-President advised caution in forming conclusions regarding the outcome of the negotiations as discussions continue to unfold. However, he stated that the administration led by Donald Trump would persist in utilising various strategies, including military pressure, economic measures, and diplomacy, to accomplish its objectives.
“But we’re kind of in the middle of the game, and I think people are trying to prejudge exactly how this is going to go,” Vance said. “I can tell you with confidence it’s going to go in a place that is good for the United States of America. But we’re going to use all the tools that we have–military, economic, and diplomatic–to make sure we bring this thing to the right resolution,” the US Vice-President added. Earlier on Tuesday, Trump stated that “a lot of progress” had been made in negotiations with Iran and asserted that the Islamic Republic had reached out seeking talks. He stated that the situation would become clearer within the next 48 hours. “We’re moving along very nicely. We’ll find out. We’ll know in 48 hours, I would say,” Trump told.
Trump stated that Iranian officials had reached out to the United States and indicated a willingness to engage in discussions, while implying that it would be “very smart” for Tehran to secure an agreement. “A lot of progress has been made. They called me, and they said, ‘Please, let’s talk.’ They want to talk. The funny thing is, they never mention that… I think they’d be very smart to make a deal. We’ll see what happens,” he added. Trump’s remarks arise in the context of ambiguity surrounding the potential for a renewed US-Iran agreement, which seeks to facilitate the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz following the failure of the Memorandum of Understanding established in June to mitigate hostilities in the area.
