Vice President JD Vance delivered a blunt message Tuesday: diplomacy remains the priority — but it is not the only path available.
Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force Two, Vance confirmed that the Trump administration is actively pursuing negotiations aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. However, he made clear that if talks fail, the United States is prepared to consider stronger measures.
“The president has told his entire senior team that we should be trying to cut a deal that ensures the Iranians don’t have nuclear weapons,” Vance said. “But if we can’t cut that deal, then there’s another option on the table.”
That “other option” was left undefined, but the context was unmistakable. A reporter had asked about President Donald Trump’s recent comments regarding the potential deployment of a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East — a move that would significantly bolster U.S. military presence in the region.
Vance emphasized that Trump intends to preserve flexibility. “He’s going to have a lot of options because we have the most powerful military in the world,” the vice president said, adding that negotiations will continue “until the president tells us to stop.”
The timing of Vance’s remarks is significant. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with President Trump at the White House on Wednesday, with Iran’s nuclear ambitions expected to dominate discussions. Netanyahu has already indicated he will present Israel’s position on the “essential principles” required for any agreement, signaling that Jerusalem intends to play an active role in shaping the diplomatic framework.
Meanwhile, U.S. and Iranian officials have resumed talks in Oman — the first such engagement since last summer’s brief but intense 12-day conflict. The renewed negotiations come amid heightened tensions and a sustained U.S. military presence in the Gulf, widely viewed as both a deterrent and leverage.
Notably, Vance sought to distance the administration from calls for regime change in Tehran. When asked about the future of Iran’s leadership, he stated that any change to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s government would be up to “the Iranian people.” The administration’s stated objective, he said, is singular: preventing the current regime from acquiring nuclear weapons.
President Trump reinforced that dual-track approach in a recent phone interview, telling Axios that Tehran “very much wants to reach a deal,” while warning that failure to do so could lead to consequences “like last time” — an apparent reference to prior military actions targeting Iranian assets.
The message from Washington is calibrated but firm: diplomacy first, strength always in reserve. Whether Iran interprets that as an opportunity or a warning may determine what comes next in one of the world’s most volatile standoffs.
