Vice President JD Vance talked about the weekend negotiations with Iran and what the U.S. red lines are in an interview with Fox News on Monday.
When asked about what went wrong that led to the talks falling apart, Vance noted that there were things that «went right» during the talks.
«We made a lot of progress, but we also made very clear, and I think this is part of the progress we made, what the terms where the United States could make some accommodation, what terms we were flexible on, and what things we absolutely needed to see in order for the president of the United States to feel like he was getting a good deal,» Vance said.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pose on the day of a meeting for talks about Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 11, 2026.
Jacquelyn Martin, Pool via Reuters
Vance said that all of the United States’ red lines in the negotiations stemmed from the Iranians never having a nuclear weapon. The two crucial pieces that the U.S. side is not flexible on are, according to Vance, the U.S. getting possession of the «nuclear dust» — the enriched uranium that Iran currently possesses — and a «mechanism to ensure» that Iran won’t have the ability to enrich uranium.
Vance said the opening of the Strait of Hormuz did come up, and that the «Iranians tried to move the goal post during the negotiation.»
«Our expectation is that the Iranians are going to continue to make progress to opening the Straits of Hormuz, and if they don’t, it’s going to fundamentally change the negotiation that we have with them,» Vance said.
-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie, Meghan Mistry and Michelle Stoddart
