Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that President Donald Trump prefers a diplomatic solution with Iran, even as the Treasury Department imposed new sanctions targeting Tehran’s oil trade and weapons programs.
Speaking on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom,” Vance said Trump has been clear that Iran cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon and hopes Iranian officials take his preference for diplomacy seriously in upcoming talks.
“We’re sitting down having another round of diplomatic talks with the Iranians trying to reach a reasonable settlement,” Vance said, referring to a third round of negotiations set for Thursday in Geneva. He said Trump wants to achieve his goal through diplomacy but “has other tools at his disposal.”
Vance declined to say whether the United States would seek the removal of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Earlier Wednesday, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on more than 30 individuals, entities and vessels it said were involved in illicit Iranian petroleum sales and in supporting Iran’s ballistic missile and advanced conventional weapons production.
Treasury said the measures also targeted networks that help Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics obtain precursor materials and machinery needed for missile and other weapons programs.
The sanctions were announced hours after Trump laid out his case for a possible strike on Iran during his State of the Union address to Congress, while also saying he remains open to a negotiated settlement.