US vice president says negotiations with Iran went well 'in some ways'

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that a just-concluded second round of negotiations with Iran was productive "in some ways" but Tehran is "not yet willing" to engage on some of President Donald Trump's "red lines."

Vance did not specify which "red lines" the Iranian government is refusing to engage on but maintained: "Our primary interest here is we don't want Iran to get a nuclear weapon."

"In some ways it went well. They agreed to meet afterwards. But in other ways, it was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through," the vice president said during an interview with Fox News.

"We're going to keep on working it. But of course, the president reserves the ability to say when he thinks that diplomacy has reached its natural end. We hope we don't get to that point, but if we do, that will be the president's call," he added.

The Iranian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while the US team was headed by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Araghchi said there had been progress in Geneva, describing the atmosphere as “more constructive.”

“It was decided that both sides will work on the drafts of a potential agreement, and after exchanging the texts,” he said. “The timing of the next round of talks will be determined.”

Iran’s top diplomat added that a clear path lies ahead for nuclear negotiations with the American side, which is “assessed positively” from Iran’s perspective.

On Feb. 6, Oman hosted a first round of indirect talks in Muscat, the first since Trump ordered strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in June. Trump has since directed a US military buildup in the region as he threatens Iran to make a deal with Washington.