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US Vice President JD Vance has defended continued diplomatic engagement with Iran despite renewed hostilities, arguing that the conflict cannot be resolved through military force alone and that negotiations remain essential to address security challenges in the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking in an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan on an episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience" released on Wednesday (local time), Vance said that he was frustrated by calls to abandon diplomacy with Tehran. "I'm very frustrated by the Americans, and frankly by people in other countries who are like, you cannot negotiate with the Iranians," Vance said. Vance, who has led US efforts to engage Iran over its nuclear programme, acknowledged that negotiations have stalled amid disputes related to the Strait of Hormuz. His remarks come as President Donald Trump has questioned the value of continuing talks, calling it "a waste of time dealing with them" as hostilities resume. Defending the diplomatic track, Vance argued that Iran's ability to threaten shipping in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz means military action alone cannot deliver a lasting solution. "You can bomb them, you can take away their radar, you can take away some of their drones and some of their missiles, but it's just too easy to fire at ships in the straits," Vance said. "So you've got to actually be willing to talk and to try to figure out the problem," he added. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said that he does not like setting deadlines when asked whether he had given Iran any ultimatum before ordering the bombing of its bridges, while warning that Tehran "better behave" amid a renewed exchange of fire between the two sides in West Asia following the collapse of the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict in the region. Responding to a query when Trump has given Terhan any deadline before he initiates strikes on civilian assets inside the Islamic Republic, Trump said, "I don't like giving deadlines, but they pretty much know--they know the story. They better behave." Trump made the remarks after arriving in Pennsylvania, where he is participating in the Pennsylvania Defence and Innovation Summit. From the Iranian side, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Wednesday stated that the Islamic Republic has no plans to resume negotiations with the United States amid escalation of military confrontation between the two sides in West Asia, according to Iranian state media Press TV. Baghaei asserted that Tehran is currently focused on defending itself against ongoing US military actions, noting that it no longer considers itself bound by the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with Washington aimed at ending the hostilities in the region. (ANI)
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