Daijiworld Media Network – Washington

Washington, Jul 2: US Vice President JD Vance has dismissed Iran's public denial of ongoing negotiations with Washington, describing Tehran's stance as a "Persian negotiating tactic" while insisting that the United States remains in a strong position regardless of the outcome of the talks.

Speaking on The Michael Knowles Show, Vance said technical-level discussions between the US and Iran were continuing despite Tehran's repeated claims that no peace talks were underway.

"There were scheduled talks, really technical talks, building on the negotiation that we've already had. Those are definitely happening tomorrow," Vance said.

He criticised Iran's public messaging, saying its officials deny peace talks while acknowledging technical discussions related to a potential agreement.

"They'll say, 'No, no, there aren't peace talks ongoing, but there are technical talks between the United States and Iran about the peace deal.' It's a Persian negotiating tactic and a Persian rhetorical device that I don't understand," he said.

In a separate interview with Fox News, Vance said the US was focusing on Iran's actions rather than its public statements.

"We care a lot less about what the Iranians say. We care a lot more about what they do," he said.

Vance said Washington had seen both encouraging and concerning signals from Tehran, adding that any final agreement would require "real concessions" from the Iranian leadership.

He said President Donald Trump had instructed officials to continue diplomatic efforts while keeping other options available if negotiations failed.

"What the president has told us is to work on the problem, see where the negotiation is going to lead, and if it doesn't lead to a successful resolution on the diplomatic side, we still have a lot of optionality," Vance said.

Meanwhile, White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Doha after President Trump announced that Iran had requested a meeting in the Qatari capital.

Iran, however, denied that any direct negotiations with the United States were scheduled in Doha. Tehran said the discussions in Qatar would instead focus on implementing the provisions of an existing memorandum of understanding (MoU) through Qatari mediation.

Reaffirming Washington's position, Vance said the United States continues to hold a strategic advantage and remains confident about its leverage as negotiations with Iran continue.