Vance claims ‘lot of progress’ in Islamabad talks, warns Iran on Hormuz

WASHINGTON, United States (MNTV) – Vice President JD Vance said the Islamabad talks with Iran made “a lot of progress” despite ending without an agreement, while warning that Iran’s failure to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz could “fundamentally change” the course of negotiations.

“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. He said the talks clarified Washington’s negotiating position, including “the things we absolutely needed to see for the president to feel like he was getting a good deal.” He described the Iranian team as having needed to return to Tehran — to the supreme leader or others — to seek approval for the terms the U.S. had set.

On red lines, Vance was unequivocal. “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. So all of our red lines flow from that fundamental premise.” He stressed Washington has “no flexibility” on removing Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and securing verifiable commitments against nuclear weapons development. “We must have the enriched material out of Iran. We must have their conclusive commitment to not develop a nuclear weapon. The ball is very much in their court.”

On the strait, Vance said the U.S. expects Iran to continue steps toward reopening it.

“If they don’t, it’s going to fundamentally change the negotiation that we have with them,” he said. The Islamabad talks marked the highest-level US-Iran engagement since 1979.