Vice President JD Vance cautioned Iran on Tuesday that military force represents "another option on the table" should the regime fail to reach a nuclear agreement with Washington, Fox News reported.
The second-in-command delivered his remarks to reporters prior to boarding Air Force Two, responding to questions about President Donald Trump's consideration of deploying an additional aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East.
A journalist inquired: "How confident are you in going the diplomatic route? Do you think that is still going to be successful or are we leaning more towards a military strike?" Vance responded by outlining the administration's strategy, saying: "The president has told his entire senior team that we should be trying to cut a deal that ensures the Iranians don't have nuclear weapons."
The vice president then added a veiled threat. "But if we can't cut that deal, then there's another option on the table. So I think the president is going to continue to preserve his options. He's going to have a lot of options because we have the most powerful military in the world. But until the president tells us to stop, we're going to engage in these conversations and try to reach a good outcome through negotiation."
The vice president additionally minimized speculation about toppling Iran's leadership, stating that deposing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's government would ultimately rest with "the Iranian people" – a position contradicting President Trump's previous social media claims that "help is on the way."
Vance emphasized the Trump administration maintains a singular objective: blocking the current Iranian government from acquiring nuclear weaponry. The vice president's statements emerged one day ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled White House session with Trump on Wednesday, with Iran's nuclear program anticipated to dominate discussions.
During a telephone conversation with Axios, Trump stated Tehran "very much wants to reach a deal," while issuing a warning: "Either we make a deal, or we'll have to do something very tough — like last time."
Netanyahu, addressing journalists before his departure from Israel to Washington, indicated his intention to articulate Israel's stance, telling reporters: "I will present to the president our concept regarding the principles of the negotiations — the essential principles that are important not only to Israel but to anyone who wants peace and security in the Middle East."
American and Iranian representatives resumed diplomatic talks in Oman this week, marking the first such engagement since last summer's 12-day military conflict. Washington maintains substantial armed forces positioned throughout the Gulf region – a deployment interpreted broadly as serving dual purposes of deterrence and providing negotiating leverage with Tehran.
