US Vice President JD Vance.Image: keystone
Feb 17, 2026, 10:47 p.mFeb 17, 2026, 10:47 p.m
US Vice President JD Vance has reiterated his administration’s political goal of preventing Iran from building a nuclear weapon. President Donald Trump has “a lot of options and a lot of tools” to ensure this, he told the US broadcaster “Fox News”.
Vance warned of the possibility that other authoritarian governments, after Iran, could acquire nuclear weapons. Vance also accused Tehran of being interested in purchasing a nuclear weapon – this should not happen either, he said.
Iran denies that it is secretly seeking to build nuclear weapons and insists on its right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
Military violence
A few hours earlier, another round of negotiations between representatives of the USA and the Islamic Republic had ended in Geneva – without any tangible progress. The USA has indirectly threatened military force if the leadership in Tehran does not give in. Many American warships have been relocated to the region in recent weeks.
US government circles said that although progress had been made in the Geneva talks mediated by Oman, there were still many details to be clarified. Accordingly, the Iranian side wants to come back in the next two weeks with “detailed proposals to clarify some of the outstanding differences between our positions,” a senior government official said. (sda/dpa)