‘Can’t Let Craziest Regime Have Nuclear Arms’: JD Vance Ahead Of US-Iran Geneva Talks
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Last Updated:February 26, 2026, 07:29 IST
US Vice President JD Vance emphasised that Trump administration is determined to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear capability
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Amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, US Vice President JD Vance issued a blunt warning to Tehran, saying that Washington “can’t let the craziest and the worst regime in the world to have nuclear weapons."
While speaking to Fox News a day after US President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to build a case against Iran, Vance said that Tehran should not mistake Washington’s preference for diplomacy as a sign of weakness.
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“You can’t let the craziest and the worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons. That’s what the president is accomplishing. He’s going to try to accomplish it diplomatically. But the president has a number of other tools at his disposal to ensure this doesn’t happen," Vance said on America’s Newsroom.
The Vice President emphasised that the Trump administration is determined to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear capability, but the President still prefers a diplomatic solution. He also warned that Washington’s threats of military action should be taken “seriously."
“The President has a number of other tools at his disposal to ensure this doesn’t happen," Vance said, adding, “He’s shown a willingness to use them, and I hope the Iranians take it seriously in the negotiations tomorrow because that’s certainly what the president prefers."
An Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Geneva late Wednesday for meetings with American officials headed by US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Vance said previous discussions had produced “mixed results," noting that Tehran had not accepted all of Trump’s “red lines." He reiterated that “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," adding that the Islamic Republic, which Washington describes as the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, must not be allowed to threaten the world with nuclear capability.
Additionally, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Iran poses a “very grave threat" to the United States and confirmed that the Geneva talks would primarily focus on the nuclear issue. He also flagged Iran’s ballistic missile programme as a major sticking point.
Trump Talks Tough On Iran
While delivering his State of Union address, the President framed rising tensions with Iran as one of the central national security challenges facing the United States, asserting that previous US military action had significantly weakened Tehran’s capabilities and warning that any future nuclear ambitions would not be tolerated.
Speaking to a joint session of Congress, Trump cited the 2025 US air campaign against Iranian nuclear facilities—known as Operation Midnight Hammer—as a turning point that “obliterated" Iran’s nuclear programme and prevented the spread of terrorism by the regime. He claimed that without that operation, Iran “would have spread terrorism", framing the strikes as both a defensive and stabilising action.
He also claimed Iran is seeking to develop missiles that can strike the United States—long-range weapons technology that only a limited number of countries possess. “They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America," Trump said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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