US Vice President JD Vance has said Washington’s approach towards Iran will be guided by American interests, even if those do not fully align with Israel’s position, as the Trump administration pushes for a long-term settlement over Tehran’s nuclear programme.Speaking to Fox News, Vance acknowledged differences between the two allies while underscoring their broader strategic partnership.“The Israelis and the United States, we have a lot of shared interests, but we also have some situations where our interests diverge,” he said.Vance argued that recent developments had created an opportunity to pursue a diplomatic resolution with Iran and expressed confidence in President Donald Trump’s strategy.“Over the last year and a half, we’ve created the space necessary where the president believes – and I think that he’s right – that we can get the long-term settlement to Iran’s nuclear deal,” he said.He added that Washington’s priority remains preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, regardless of how Israel views a potential agreement.“I think where the president has been very clear here is that while Israel obviously has some objectives that it has, the United States’ main objective in Iran is to ensure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon,” Vance said.“Now, Israel may like that, they may not like that. But fundamentally, we think this is in the best interest of the United States of America.”His comments come amid reports of friction between the Trump administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the handling of Iran and regional security issues.Vance also suggested that Tehran was showing signs of engagement in ongoing negotiations and had an incentive to avoid a prolonged conflict.“The Iranians don’t want this war to continue. It’s not in their best interest, and I think they’re coming to the table, putting some real things on the table,” he said.At the same time, he cautioned against assuming good faith in the talks.“Everybody’s always trying to play everybody. I don’t assume that anybody’s acting in good faith,” Vance said when asked whether Iran could be attempting to gain leverage at the negotiating table.The vice president said any future agreement would need a strong verification framework to ensure compliance, arguing that effective inspections would be critical to preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.“If we get to this deal, it’s gonna be a home run win for the American people,” he said.
