WASHINGTON: US Vice President JD Vance has said that peace negotiations with Iran would be difficult and time-consuming, but expressed confidence that the United States would ultimately secure an agreement that prevents Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
In an interview with Fox News, Vance said the Trump administration would continue using military, economic and diplomatic pressure to pursue the “right resolution” to the Iran conflict.
“It’s going to be messy and it’s going to take some time to get there,” Vance said. “But we’re going to use all the tools that we have — military, economic, diplomatic — to make sure we bring this thing to the right resolution.”
The vice president said the administration remained optimistic despite recent setbacks in negotiations. “I do think that where we will ultimately land… it’s going to be messy, and it’s going to take some time to get there,” he said.
JD Vance on Iran:
Number one, the Iranians are extraordinarily difficult people. Number two, they have a fractured system.
There are people within their system that want the war to be over and also people in their system that are crazy radicals that want it to continue.
Our… pic.twitter.com/J97h8mJUn6
— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 6, 2026
Vance said negotiations were complicated by divisions within Iran’s leadership. “The Iranians are extraordinarily difficult people,” he said. “They have a fractured system.”
“There are people within their system that want the war to be over and there are also people in their system that are crazy radicals who want the war to continue,” Vance added.
“Our job is to navigate through that and get the best outcome for the American people and for the President of the United States as well.”
‘Iran will never have a nuclear weapon’
Vance said Washington’s objectives remained unchanged, including ensuring that Iran never develops a nuclear weapon. “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, and the United States will be in a stronger position,” he said.
He also predicted that energy markets would stabilise as diplomacy progressed. “Oil prices are going to come down and stay down,” Vance said, noting that crude prices had been around $79 a barrel on Wednesday.
He cautioned against drawing premature conclusions about the outcome of the negotiations.
“We’re kind of in the middle of the game, and I think people are trying to prejudge exactly how this is going to go,” Vance said.
Iran, Oman close to Hormuz deal
Iranian officials said Tehran and Muscat were finalising an agreement on a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz and arrangements for jointly managing the strategic waterway.
On Wednesday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that Iran and Oman have agreed on a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz and are finalising arrangements for the joint management of the strategic waterway.
Spokesperson Baghaei added that any such agreement between Iran and Oman would not, by itself, guarantee security in the strategic waterway, Reuters news agency reported.
Also Read: Pakistan Hopes Hormuz Deal Will Revive US-Iran Talks Under Islamabad MoU
The proposed deal between Iran and Oman would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters on Wednesday.
Esmaeil Baghaei described the negotiations between Tehran and Muscat as “professional” and “moving forward”, saying “the two sides had reached a mutual understanding on the geographical parameters of the route under discussion”.
The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson added that if some third parties do not obstruct the process, the joint statement between the two countries, containing the main considerations and key points of understanding, was in the final stages of review and drafting.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Baghaei has said Iranian officials are continuing to exchange views with their counterparts in Pakistan and Qatar, Al Jazeera reported.
Pakistan hopes for revival of US-Iran talks
Meanwhile, mediator Pakistan on Thursday expressed hope that the potential agreement between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz would help resume talks between Tehran and Washington under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
“We hope that the agreement on the Strait will pave the way for continuing dialogue, particularly the resumption of technical-level talks between Iran and the United States,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told a weekly news briefing in Islamabad.
🔴LIVE: Spokesperson’s Weekly Press Briefing 06-08-2026 at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad https://t.co/aCYT2AeJtf
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 6, 2026
The spokesperson’s remarks came as Iranian officials said Tehran and Muscat had reached an understanding on a new shipping route through the strategically important waterway and were finalising arrangements for its joint management.
Spokesperson Andrabi said Pakistan remained actively engaged with its “brotherly countries” in efforts to help resolve the crisis in the Gulf and the wider Middle East, particularly tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
He praised Oman’s continued role in promoting de-escalation and peaceful coexistence, and said Islamabad would continue supporting diplomatic initiatives aimed at achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting resolution to the conflict.
Pakistan would continue to “actively pursue diplomatic engagements and support all sincere efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting resolution to the conflict”, Andrabi said.
The spokesperson reiterated Islamabad’s hope that progress on the Strait of Hormuz would create momentum for broader diplomatic engagement, including the resumption of technical-level talks between Iran and the United States under the Pakistan-mediated Islamabad memorandum of understanding.
Trump eyes Hormuz deal soon
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could be announced as early as Wednesday or Thursday.
Trump was asked by reporters travelling with him in California about a report on the Axios news site that an announcement on the Strait of Hormuz could be made on Wednesday.
“It could happen. Tomorrow or the next day,” the US President said, speaking on Tuesday evening California time. “A lot of progress has been made.”
The possible agreement emerging from talks between Iran and Oman calls for ships to enter the Arabian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, The Associated Press reported citing two regional officials.
Service fees would be charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, the officials said as cited by The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations, according to AP.
The Trump administration has previously ruled out any deal that would give Iran control over the Strait of Hormuz, which was an open international waterway before the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
In an exchange with reporters on Monday, the US President reiterated his public opposition to tolls being charged in the strait. “I’m not going to let them charge,” Mr. Trump said. “Anybody’s going to charge, we’ll charge.”
Earlier, Axios reported that the US, Iran and Oman are close to reaching an interim agreement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and reinforce a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
Quoting two regional sources and a US official, the report said the proposed agreement is designed to reduce tensions after months of military confrontation and create space for fresh talks over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Under the draft arrangement, Oman and Iran would implement a 60-day temporary navigation framework in the Strait of Hormuz, with the possibility of extending the agreement, according to Axios.
The proposal envisions inbound vessels entering the Gulf through a northern shipping lane in Iranian waters, while outbound traffic would travel via a southern route in Omani waters in coordination with Iran.
