Iran Will Not Be Allowed to Obtain Nuclear Weapon, U.S. Vance Says

(MENAFN) US Vice President JD Vance issued a stark warning Wednesday that Iran will never be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon, insisting diplomacy remains the Trump administration's top priority while making clear that military force is firmly on the table.

During an appearance on a news channel, Vance invoked President Donald Trump's unambiguous stance on the matter, stating the president has been as "crystal clear as he could be. Iran can't have a nuclear weapon."

"That would be the ultimate military objective, if that's the route that he chose. That is, of course, what we're trying to accomplish, as the president said, through the preferred route of diplomacy. But it's very simple. We have to get to a position where Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, cannot threaten the world with nuclear terrorism," Vance added.

The vice president contended that a broad majority of Americans view a nuclear-armed Iran as an unacceptable threat to both national and international security. He further noted that while diplomatic channels remain active, Trump has shown clear readiness to deploy alternative measures should talks fail.

Trump is "going to try to accomplish it diplomatically," Vance said, adding the president has "a number of other tools at his disposal to ensure this doesn't happen."

The warning comes just ahead of a pivotal third round of indirect nuclear negotiations between Iranian and American delegations, set to take place Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland, under Omani mediation.

Vance expressed hope that Tehran would approach the talks with genuine intent, urging Iranian officials to take the negotiations "seriously."

When pressed on whether Washington might pursue the removal of Iran's supreme leader as a potential course of action, Vance declined to be drawn into speculation, deferring to Trump on any final determination.

"We're sitting down having another round of diplomatic talks with the Iranians trying to reach a reasonable settlement, but a reasonable settlement toward what end? Iran can't have a nuclear weapon. It's very simple," Vance said.

"We're hopeful that we're able to come to a good resolution without the military, but if we have to use the military, the president, of course, has that right as well," he added.

Speaking separately at a news conference alongside Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz, Vance disclosed that Washington has gathered intelligence suggesting Iran is actively working to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program — efforts he said were detected following US strikes last June that the administration claims dismantled Tehran's nuclear infrastructure.

"If they try to rebuild a nuclear weapon, that causes problems for us. In fact, we've seen evidence that they have tried to do exactly that," he said.

The escalating rhetoric follows President Trump's assertion on Tuesday that Iran is developing long-range ballistic missiles capable of striking US territory — a claim swiftly rejected by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who maintained Wednesday that the country's missiles are "defensive in nature."

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