Vice President JD Vance previewed the next round of US-Iran nuclear talks on Wednesday, saying President Donald Trump was “opened” to sit with Chinese and Russian officials in the future to prevent proliferation.
US and Iranian officials are scheduled to give a fourth round of nuclear speech in Oman in the coming days. Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Middle Eastern countries of the United Arab Emirates next week.
At the Munich leadership conference in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Wolfgang Isinger, a former German US ambassador, asked Vance if the administration would “go for zero enrichment” by Tehran, noting the unresolved “Gaza issue.”
Trump teases “a very big announcement” ahead of his trip to the Middle East, with Carney saying he's “at the edge of my seat.”
Vice President JD Vance is paying attention during discussions at the Munich Leader Meeting held at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC on May 7, 2025. (Mandel nkan/AFP via Getty Images)
Vance cited “two major issues” in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the official name of Iran's nuclear deal set aside in 2015 during the Obama administration.
Trump said the flawed deal would not prevent Iran from building an atomic bomb. The vice president on Wednesday added that former President Barack Obama's agreement was “incredibly weak” enforcement on testing, which he didn't believe “actually served in the function of preventing Iranians from going on the path to nuclear weapons.”
Second, Vance said the Trump administration believes there are several elements of Iran's nuclear program that have actually been “preserved” under the JCPOA.
“Yes, there were no nuclear weapons. Iran does not have nuclear weapons,” Vance said.
“I think there's a deal here that will reintegrate Iran into the global economy,” Vance said ahead of the talks. “It's really good for the Iranian people, but it's going to bring about a complete halt of the opportunity for them to get nuclear weapons. That's what we're negotiating. And, like the president said, it's option A.”
If option A is “very good for Iranian people”, Vance offered that option B is “very bad.”
“That's very bad for everyone. And while it's not something we want, it's better than Option C where Iran gets nuclear weapons. It's something that's completely off the table of the US administration.
Foundation Council Chairman Vice President JD Vance and Wolfgang Issinger are participating in discussions at the Munich Leader Conference hosted by the Munich Security Conference in Washington, DC on May 7, 2025. (Mandel nkan/AFP via Getty Images)
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In an interview aired Sunday, Trump told NBC's “Meet the Press” that he would only accept “complete dismantling” of Iran's nuclear program.
The vice president on Wednesday said the Trump administration's broader goal was to prevent nuclear proliferation and that he believes the president is “open” to sit alongside China and Russia and go on the road.
“If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, then whenever that country gets it, and which country then gets it, we really care about not only about Iran but about nuclear proliferation,” Vance said. “The president hates nuclear proliferation. I hate nuclear proliferation. And the president sat down with the Russians and Chinese people and said, “Look, let's put this in a better place. Let's reduce the number of nuclear weapons written in the world.” That's clearly not a conversation for tomorrow.
“But if multiple regimes around the world allow them to enter this sprint for nuclear weapons, there is no way to reach that conversation,” Vance added. “And when Iran Domino falls, we'll see nuclear proliferation all over the Middle East. That's very bad for us. That's very bad for our friends. And I don't think it can happen.”
When it comes to negotiations with Iran, Vance gave him the grade “so far, it's very good” and thanked the intermediaries, including Oman, ensuring that the speech was the “right route.”
Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Leader Conference hosted by the Munich Security Conference held at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC on May 7, 2025. (Mandel nkan/AFP via Getty Images)
“But this will end somewhere, and it will end with either their nuclear program, Iran, which eliminates the nuclear weapons program,” Vance said. “They can have civil nuclear power. Ok, we don't care about that. But let's ask this basic question: Which governments in the world have civil nuclear power and enrichment without nuclear weapons? And no one has the answer.”
“So our proposition is very simple. Yes, I don't care if people want nuclear power or not. We're fine with that. But you can't have the kind of enrichment program that allows you to reach nuclear weapons. And that's where we draw the line.”
Trump announced Tuesday that US troops, which have been bombing Iran-backed Houtsis since March 15 to defend freedom of navigation, will stop the strike against Yemen-based terrorist groups. Houthis claimed responsibility for missiles that hit from Yemen near Yemen's main terminals last weekend before Israeli cabinet voted to expand fighting in Gaza.
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From the oval office on Tuesday, Trump also teased “a very big announcement” before his trip to the Middle East, but rejected the subject's clarity, in addition to saying “it's not necessarily about trade.”
