Vance says US 'making progress' on Iran deal

US Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that Washington is "making progress" in negotiations with Iran while stressing President Donald Trump's red line that Tehran must never have a nuclear weapon.

"I spent a good amount of time on the phone with both Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff this morning and a number of our friends in the Arab world this morning. I think that we are making progress," Vance told reporters when asked if the US is still engaging with the Iranians after Trump called Tehran's response "unacceptable."

"The fundamental question is, do we make enough progress that we satisfy the president's red line? And the red line is very simple. He needs to feel confident that we've put a number of protections in place such that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon," Vance said.

"I thought we made some progress in Pakistan, but we've made more since then," he said.

"The President has set us off on the diplomatic pathway for now, and that's what I'm focused on," he added.

Asked about Trump's remarks that he does not think about "Americans' financial situation" when negotiating with Iran, Vance responded: "I think that's a misrepresentation of what the president said."

"I agree with the president. Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. We're obviously engaged in a very aggressive and very engaged diplomatic process to try to ensure that that doesn't happen," he added.

Vance said the ultimate aim was to give the American people assurance that Iran would never obtain nuclear weapons, describing the current diplomatic track as the president's chosen pathway for now.

Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by US President Donald Trump without a set deadline.

On Sunday, Iran sent Pakistan its response to a US proposal for ending the war, but Trump dismissed it as “totally unacceptable.”