US Vice President JD Vance said that peace talks between the US and Iran, which took place over the weekend, had ended as a result of the Iranian team’s lack of approval to cut a deal, and that it’s up to Iran to take the next step in negotiations on Monday evening.
Vance attended the talks in Pakistan before announcing that the countries were unable to reach a deal on Sunday morning.
Progress was made during the talks, Vance told Fox News in an interview, both in communicating the US’s hard-line stances and in acquiring knowledge on how the Iranians negotiate.
During the negotiations, the US made clear that it would need to take possession of the enriched uranium Iran has in its possession, and that mechanisms would need to be put in place to ensure that Iran would be unable to enrich uranium again, Vance said.
“Those are really the two things where, frankly, the Iranians, I think, did make some progress,” Vance said.
However, Vance explained that the US discovered that the team would need to return to Tehran “and actually get approval to the terms we had set…either from the supreme leader or somebody else.”
Strait of Hormuz could fundamentally change negotiations
Vance also said, regarding the Strait of Hormuz, “It was one of the things where the Iranians tried to move the goalposts during the negotiation.”
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz was a prerequisite for negotiations, and Vance said if Iran did not continue to reopen the strait, it would “fundamentally change” the negotiations.
When asked what would happen next, Vance explained that it would be up to the Iranians.
If Iran can agree to the US’s terms, “this can be a very, very good deal for both countries,” Vance said.
Iran has the choice, and “as the President of the United States says, we have the cards,” he added.
Blockade on Iranian ships
Vance also addressed the blockade that the US has established, preventing Iranian vessels from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The blockade, which went into effect on Monday, will stop “any vessel that we know is going to Iranian ports or has come from Iranian ports,” Vance said.
The blockade comes in response to what Vance called "economic terrorism."
"They basically threaten any ship that's moving through the Strait of Hormuz. Well, as the President of the United States showed, two can play at that game," he said.
According to Vance, while the US has "very good intelligence" on which ships are connected to Iran, even if they plan to re-flag themselves in an attempt to get through the blockade.