US VP Vance Highlights Key Challenge in Potential Iran Agreement

US Vice President JD Vance stated that the most difficult question in any potential agreement with Iran concerns whether Tehran will consent to effective mechanisms that ensure its future compliance with any signed document.

Vance expressed optimism that Iran would agree within any deal not to develop nuclear weapons. However, he pointed out that the greatest challenge lies in the enforcement and monitoring mechanisms that guarantee Iran does not violate any future agreement, according to NBC News on Wednesday.

He noted that US President Donald Trump initially showed some skepticism about ordering strikes against Iran, but the operation was justified as an effort to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.

Vance emphasized that the war prompted Washington decision-makers to confront complex ethical and political questions regarding the legitimacy of using force. He added that his Christian religious background influenced his thinking during the conflict.

He explained the "just war theory" in Christian thought requires leaders to ask very complex questions about whether a war is justified, adding that the answers are not always straightforward.

He continued: "At its best, this theory pushes you to ask the right questions. I find myself constantly asking: Is this justified? Is it ethical? Is it the right thing? And this places constraints on political leaders, as it should."

On Tuesday, Iran accused the United States of violating the ceasefire following US nighttime airstrikes in southern Iran, dealing a blow to negotiation efforts aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.

Progress indicators observed in recent days have retreated, replaced again by escalation rhetoric despite a ceasefire in effect since April 8. Threats remain active, along with the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has caused a sharp increase in oil prices.

An Iranian delegation held talks in Doha on Monday seeking to reach understandings in hopes of ending the war that began in late February.

In efforts to prevent the Iranian threat, Washington has expanded the deployment of interceptor missiles in the Middle East.

Tasnim news agency reported that Iranian negotiators sought the release of $24 billion in frozen assets, with half to be accessible upon signing an initial memorandum of understanding.

This issue represents one of the main points of contention between Washington and Tehran, alongside the nuclear file that Iran intends to address in a subsequent phase.

The US, suspecting Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons capability, demands the destruction of the stockpile of highly enriched uranium, the fate of which has remained unclear since previous Israeli-American strikes in June 2025.