Vance Says US Push for Iran Deal Persistent

(MENAFN) The United States will press ahead with efforts to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran irrespective of Israel's stance on the matter, Vice President JD Vance declared Monday — remarks that laid bare a deepening rift between Washington and its closest Middle Eastern ally.

"Thanks to what's happened over the last few months, but really over the last year and a half, we've created the space necessary where the president believes, and I think that he's right, that we can get the long-term settlement to Iran's nuclear deal," Vance said in an interview with a news outlet.

He made clear that Israeli objections would carry no decisive weight in Washington's calculus. "Now, Israel may like that, they may not like that, but fundamentally, we think this is in the best interest of the United States of America. So we're going to keep on pursuing it, because that's what the president of the United States was elected to do. That's what we have to do in order to properly serve the American people," he added.

The remarks represent the most candid signal yet of friction between the two allies, coming just days after President Donald Trump urged Israel to refrain from retaliating against Iranian missile strikes on Sunday — a call Jerusalem openly disregarded.

The situation deteriorated sharply over the weekend when Israel carried out strikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut in violation of an active ceasefire, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory missiles toward northern Israel. Israel responded with successive waves of airstrikes against Iranian targets, drawing further missile salvoes from Iran in return.

By early Monday, Iran's military announced it was suspending its offensive against Israel, while cautioning that any continuation of Israeli operations in Lebanon would invite a "crushing" response. Israeli media, citing unnamed officials, reported that Israel had similarly agreed to stand down its strikes on Iran, though military activity in southern Lebanon was set to continue.

The current escalation has its roots in late February, when joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran set off a chain of retaliatory exchanges targeting Israeli territory and regional installations hosting American forces. A fragile ceasefire brokered on April 8 gradually unravelled as disputes over implementation mounted, even as Trump moved to extend the truce indefinitely.

Efforts to forge a comprehensive end to the conflict have repeatedly foundered, with Iran maintaining that any dialogue on its nuclear programme must follow — not precede — a complete cessation of hostilities.

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