US President Donald Trump said the United States would 'quickly end' the ongoing conflict involving Iran, while Vice President JD Vance warned that the US was 'locked and loaded' if Tehran refused to agree to terms preventing it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Speaking publicly, Trump said, '...We're going to end that war very quickly. They want to make a deal so badly...You are going to see oil prices plummet. They're going to come down. There's so much oil out there, they're going to come plummeting down.'
A 72-hour diplomatic ultimatum has locked Washington and Tehran in a high-stakes standoff. Trump gave Iranian negotiators a window of 'two to three days' to finalise a peace treaty aimed at ending the conflict involving the West Asian country.
Vance reiterated Washington's position that Iran cannot be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon, while signalling that diplomatic engagement remains open.
Addressing a press conference, Vance said, '...What I think is that the Iranians want to make a deal, Iranians recognise that a nuclear weapon is the red line for the United States of America...But we're not going to know until we're actually putting pen to paper on signing a deal...It's ultimately up to the Iranians whether they are willing to meet us, because I think we're certainly doing a good job and we're certainly negotiating in good faith. We're going to have to see what ultimately happens with them. I can't say with confidence because I don't know what's in the mind of the other side.'
'Locked and loaded' Vance also said the US administration was prepared to take further steps if negotiations failed to produce an agreement.
'We are not going to have a deal that allows the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon — so as @POTUS just told me, we're locked and loaded. We don't want to go down that pathway, but the President is willing and able to go down that pathway if we have to,' he said.
The Vice President further argued that allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons could trigger wider global consequences.
