Vance says US ‘has all the cards’ in Iran deal, expects agreement text this week

WASHINGTON (AA) — Vice President JD Vance said the United States holds substantial leverage in its negotiations with Iran and that the Trump administration hopes to release the text of the agreement this week.

“I think the best outcome is a good deal for the American people, which we have fundamentally,” Vance said in an interview with CNBC.

Looking ahead to talks expected later this week, he said Washington anticipated “a full spectrum of representatives” at Friday’s negotiation, adding that the administration had been communicating with Iranian officials both directly and indirectly — a shift he credited to President Donald Trump’s leadership.

The U.S. is now engaging Tehran directly, he said, noting that Washington had “some good relationships there.”

Vance argued that direct contact made success more likely.

With back-channel messaging set aside, he said, talking to the Iranians directly allowed Washington to gauge what was real, what was not, and where Tehran was serious.

Stressing the U.S. position going into the talks, Vance said Washington fundamentally held “all the cards” and was under no obligation to offer Iran anything absent long-term commitments on its nuclear program.

Even if matters stopped where they stood, he argued, Iran’s military and nuclear program had been destroyed, the Strait of Hormuz was open, and the U.S. had gained economic leverage it did not possess a year and a half earlier.

At the same time, he said Washington remained open to improving ties, framing it as a conditional offer: if Iran wanted to change its relationship with the U.S., the U.S. would reciprocate, but Tehran would have to meet Washington halfway.

Asked about Israel’s response to a potential agreement, Vance said some elements within Israel liked the deal considerably and suggested there had been “some misreporting” about its terms.

He said the administration hoped to publish the text this week and that the accord would make the region safer and help build what he called a new Middle East for the next generation.

In a separate interview with ABC News, Vance said the peace deal had already been signed digitally, emphasizing that no funds had been released and that sanctions relief would follow only if Tehran took concrete steps to eliminate its enriched uranium stockpile and accept a verification regime.

Speaking to CBS News, Vance said Iran could gain access to a $300 billion reconstruction fund through Gulf states, but only if it dismantled its nuclear program, while denying that $24 billion in frozen assets formed part of the current deal text.

That kind of support would be available so long as Iran honored its obligations, he said.

Washington was open to Gulf countries investing in Iran’s reconstruction, he added, but only if Tehran ended its nuclear program and enriched-uranium stockpile and accepted an inspections and enforcement regime giving Americans confidence it would never obtain a nuclear weapon.

Vance also accused Iran’s hardline media of misrepresenting the agreement, saying outlets would emphasize what Tehran stood to gain while glossing over what it had to give up.

Asked whether Israel was on board, he did not answer directly but said the U.S. expected all regional actors to honor the deal.