Following US-Iran nuclear talks in Islamabad, the US is urging Iran to take the next step towards a deal by addressing concerns over its nuclear ambitions and demonstrating a commitment to denuclearisation.
Key Points
- US Vice President J D Vance says Iran needs to make the next move in nuclear talks after some progress in Islamabad.
- The US insists Iran must address concerns over its nuclear ambitions for a deal to be reached.
- Vance highlights that the US has put a lot on the table and is awaiting Iran's response.
- The US delegation believes the Iranian negotiators needed approval from Tehran to finalise a deal.
- Vance reiterated the US stance that Iran cannot possess nuclear weapons.
United States Vice President J D Vance said Iran has moved in the direction of the US during the peace talks in Islamabad to end the war and it was for Tehran to make the next move on taking the discussions forward.
The US and Iran failed to reach an agreement in the 21-hour marathon peace talks in Islamabad over the weekend, with Washington insisting that Tehran refused to give up its right over enrichment of nuclear fuel.
"I wouldn't just say that things went wrong. I also think things went right. We made a lot of progress," Vance told Fox News.
"They moved in our direction, which is why I think we would say that we had some good signs, but they didn't move far enough," said the US vice president, who led the delegation comprising Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, for the talks with the Iranian delegation.
The Iranian delegation included Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Vance stressed that if America's "red lines" on Iran's nuclear ambitions are met, "then this can be a very, very good deal for both countries."
"Whether we have further conversations, whether we ultimately get to a deal, I really think the ball is in the Iranian court, because we put a lot on the table," Vance said.
The vice president said that the Pakistan peace talks ultimately ended because Iranian negotiators were unable to finalise a deal, adding that the discussions revealed insights into who holds decision-making authority in Tehran.
"What we figured out is that they were unable, I think - the team that was there, was unable to cut a deal," he explained.
"They had to go back to Tehran, either from the supreme leader or somebody else, and actually get approval to the terms that we had set."
Vance asserted that he agreed 100 per cent with US President Donald Trump on Iran not having nuclear weapons.
"I 100 per cent agree with @POTUS on the fact that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon... If they're willing to engage in economic terrorism on the entire world, what would it mean - what leverage would they have - if they had a nuclear bomb in Tehran," he asked.
Vance said it was for the first time that the governments of the US and Iran had met at such a high level. "So that's, I think, a positive-and again, we did make some progress in the negotiation," he said.
Vance said the rising energy prices were "painful" but will not be around forever.
"We know the American people are hurting, that's why we're negotiating so aggressively to try to get the energy prices to come down. We're going to keep on working at it," he said.
