US will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon: Vice president

WASHINGTON

US Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that Iran will not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, emphasizing that diplomacy remains the Trump administration’s preferred path but warning that other options remain on the table.

Speaking in an interview on Fox News, Vance said President Donald Trump 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," he added.

Vance argued that most Americans agree that Iran should not be permitted to develop a nuclear weapons capability, calling it a matter of national and global security.

He added that while negotiations are ongoing, Trump has demonstrated a willingness to use alternative measures if necessary.

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."

Delegations from Iran and the US are set to hold a third round of indirect nuclear negotiations under Omani mediation in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday.

Vance said he hopes the Iranians take the negotiations "seriously."

When asked whether that could mean seeking the removal of Iran’s supreme leader, he declined to speculate, saying Trump would ultimately determine the appropriate course of action to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.

“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.

In a news conference with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz, Vance said the US had seen evidence that Iran was attempting to “rebuild” its nuclear arms capacity after US strikes last June that the administration claims destroyed Tehran’s nuclear facilities.

“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.

On Tuesday, Trump claimed that Iran is developing long-range missiles that can reach the US. But Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that the country’s missiles are “defensive in nature.”

*Contributions by Ahmet Salih Alacaci from Washington, DC