Vance warned that an Iranian nuclear weapon could trigger a wider arms race in the Middle East.
Vice President JD Vance said the United States is making progress in talks with Iran and that President Donald Trump wants guarantees that Tehran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.
The United States is continuing diplomatic efforts to uphold the Iran ceasefire reached in April after weeks of fighting and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and ultimately end the conflict.
“I think that we are making progress,” Vance said during a May 13 White House press conference. “The fundamental question is, do we make enough progress that we satisfy the president’s red line?”
Vance added that Trump “needs to feel confident” that enough protections are in place to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
The comments came two days after Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was on “life support” following what he described on May 10 as an unacceptable proposal from Tehran.
Iranian officials defended the proposal and said Tehran’s demands were reasonable. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Iran sought guarantees involving maritime security and the future status of the Strait of Hormuz.
Since the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports began four weeks ago, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on May 13 that American forces had redirected 67 commercial vessels.
Trump said last month that the blockade would end once an agreement is reached to end the war, under which Iran will have to abandon its nuclear weapons program and fully reopen the strait.
Vance also told reporters that he had discussed Iran earlier on May 13 with special envoys Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and several U.S. allies in the Arab world.
Witkoff and Kushner were part of the U.S. delegation, led by Vance, as they met with Iranian officials in Islamabad last month for extended negotiations that lasted more than 20 hours.
The talks ended without a breakthrough, and Vance later said Tehran’s refusal to commit to permanently abandoning nuclear weapons capability remained the main obstacle.
Vance defended the Trump administration’s diplomatic strategy on May 13, while emphasizing the broader security implications of nuclear proliferation.
“Nuclear proliferation is one of those challenges that people don’t realize,” he said. “It’s the biggest threat to America’s national security.”
Vance added that an Iranian nuclear weapon could trigger wider proliferation across the Middle East.
“What happens if Iran gets a nuclear weapon?” he told reporters. “Then multiple Gulf Arab countries are going to want to get a nuclear weapon.”
