US Vice President JD Vance has said that Iran’s public denials of ongoing talks amount to a “Persian negotiating tactic,” while confirming that technical talks between Washington and Tehran are underway.
“There were scheduled talks, really technical talks, building on the negotiation that we’ve already had. Those are definitely happening tomorrow,” Vance said during an interview on “The Michael Knowles Show” that was released on Tuesday.
He said he found Tehran’s public statements “fascinating and frustrating,” noting that Iranian officials deny peace talks while acknowledging technical discussions.
“They’ll say, ‘No, no, there aren’t peace talks ongoing, but there are technical talks between the United States and Iran about the peace deal.’ It’s a Persian negotiating tactic and a Persian rhetorical device that I don’t understand,” he said.
In a separate interview with FOX News, Vance said Washington was focused on Iranian actions rather than their words, arguing that meaningful progress in the negotiations required Tehran to offer “real concessions.”
“We see some positive signs, obviously. We see some negative signs. What the president has told us is (to) work the problem, see where the negotiation is going to lead, and if it doesn’t lead to a successful resolution on the diplomatic side, we still have a lot of optionality,” he added.
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