VP Vance says next move is up to Iran, US holds 'all the cards' as Strait of Hormuz blockade continues

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Monday that Washington has made significant progress in talks with Iran. 

In an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, Vance noted that the failed negotiations in Pakistan were the first time such a high-level meeting was held directly between members of the Iranian and U.S. governments. 

Asked during an interview about the possibility of further talks with Tehran, Vance said, "The ball really is in their [Iran’s] court." 

The vice president also revealed that part of the reason for the U.S. decision to leave Pakistan was the lack of authority of the Iranian team to make decisions. 

“I do think that we acquired some knowledge about how the Iranians are negotiating,” Vance said. “And this is ultimately why we left Pakistan, because what we figured out is that they were unable, I think, the team that was there was unable to cut a deal. And they had to go back to Tehran, either from the Supreme Leader or somebody else, and actually get approval to the terms that we had set.” 

"I think it was the first time that you'd ever seen the Iranian government, the U.S. government meet at such a high level, maybe in the history of the current leadership of Iran. So that's, I think, a positive—and again, we did make some progress in the negotiation," says @VP.… pic.twitter.com/PGN6tNZag8

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 13, 2026

“The big question from here on out is whether the Iranians will have enough flexibility, whether the Iranians will accept the critical things that we need to see in order for things to get done,” Vance said. 

Vance also said that the United States expects Iran to make progress regarding the Strait of Hormuz, where the U.S. has imposed a blockade, saying, “This is, frankly, one of the things where the Iranians tried to move the goalposts during the negotiation.” 

“We made very clear that that's unacceptable,” he continued, saying the U.S. came to the table offering a ceasefire, and asking Iran to open the Strait in return. 

Vance called Iran’s closure of the strait during the war an “act of economic terrorism.” 

"What they have done is engage in this act of economic terrorism against the entire world,” Vance stated. "They’ve basically threatened any ship that's moving through the Straits of Hormuz. Well, as the President of the United States showed, two can play at that game.” 

“We came to the negotiation saying the United States, what we've given here is a ceasefire. We've stopped bombing the country. What we expect the Iranians to give up is a full reopening of the Straits of Hormuz.” 

He also warned that negotiations will change if Tehran does not do so. 

“As the president of the United States says, we have the cards. We have the military advantage. We now have additional economic pressure that we're applying on them through the blockade that we've imposed on their oil coming out of the Straits of Hormuz,” Vance noted, saying, “if the Iranians are willing to meet us there, then this can be a very, very good deal for both countries.”