JD Vance says coming weeks could be decisive for US-Iran ties, warns 'a lot more game to play'

US Vice President JD Vance believes the next few weeks could shape the future of relations between Washington and Tehran, but he is not ready to declare victory just yet. Speaking on The Michael Knowles Show on Tuesday (Jun 30), Vance described the current moment as a potentially significant turning point in the long-running standoff between the two countries.

'Important historical moment'

During the interview, Vance outlined the Donald Trump administration's core objectives for West Asia and cautioned that much depends on how Iran responds to the economic and diplomatic pressure being applied by the US.

"Could this be a very important historical moment? The answer is obviously yes," Vance said. "But how exactly this plays out is very much contingent on the way that the Iranians respond to the leverage the president has put on them."

While officials have spoken optimistically about the possibility of progress, Vance made it clear that scepticism remains.

"If they respond well, I think we're gonna look back at this and say we turned over a new leaf," he said. "A lot of people are sceptical, including me, that it will ultimately happen."

"And if the Iranians perform or behave poorly, then I think that we still have a lot of leverage points to ensure that this ends up in a place that is good for America's objective," he added.

Beyond a nuclear deal

Vance suggested that Washington's ambitions extend well beyond a traditional nuclear agreement. According to him, the Trump administration is seeking what it describes as durable and verifiable commitments from Tehran, backed by inspections and oversight mechanisms.

"We want durable commitments that are verifiable and backed up by inspections that Iran will denuclearise their entire country," Vance said.

The vice president said Washington is also examining how any future arrangement would fit into a wider regional framework involving Gulf Arab states, Israel and Lebanon. "We're gonna play that situation out," he said. The goal, he suggested, is to create a more stable security architecture across the Middle East rather than simply negotiate a standalone agreement with Tehran.

"We want to see what kind of an arrangement actually exists in the Middle East between not just Iran and the United States, but the GCC, Israel, Lebanon," he said.

'The end of the beginning'

Even as diplomatic activity intensifies, Vance urged observers not to read too much into every development. Quoting Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he described the current phase as "the end of the beginning" rather than the beginning of the end.

"There is a lot more game to play, and there are a lot more cards that we're going to see," Vance said.

The vice president also expressed confidence that the administration still has significant leverage if negotiations stall or collapse.

"If the Iranians perform or behave poorly, then I think that we still have a lot of leverage points to ensure that this ends up in a place that is good for America's objective," he said.

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