US Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday that Washington has evidence that Iran is trying to rebuild its nuclear program.
He further stressed that President Donald Trump prefers a diplomatic solution with Iran, but has other options available should that route fail.
“The principle is very simple, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. If they try to rebuild a nuclear weapon, that causes problems for us. In fact, we've seen evidence that they have tried to do exactly that. So the President is sending those negotiators to try to address that problem," Vance said.
He added, “As the President has said repeatedly, he wants to address that problem diplomatically, but of course the President has other options as well."
Trump made similar comments during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. He stated that the strikes on Iran's nuclear sites last June "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program, but Iran has since killed more than 32,000 protesters and is attempting to restart its nuclear program. He further warned that Iran is developing missiles that can reach Europe and could eventually reach the US.
"We're in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven't heard those secret words, 'We will never have a nuclear weapon'. My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain: I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen."
"No nation should ever doubt America’s resolve. We have the most powerful military on earth - hopefully, we seldom have to use it," continued the President.