Vance defends diplomacy amid renewed hostilities with Iran

Vice President JD Vance offered a defense of attempting diplomacy with Iran amid a renewal in hostilities, saying the war will not be won through military force alone.

“I’m very frustrated by the Americans and frankly by people in other countries who are like, you cannot negotiate with the Iranians,” he said on an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” released on Wednesday.

Vance has led US efforts to engage in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, but those efforts have stalled amid disputes over the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump has cast doubt on the utility in continuing talks with Iran as the war resumes, claiming it is a “waste of time dealing with them.”

But Vance suggested the asymmetric threat posed by Iranians in the strait meant the conflict can only be resolved through diplomacy.

“You can bomb them, you can take away their radar, you can take away some of their drones and some of their missiles, but it’s just too easy to fire at ships in the straits,” he said. “So you’ve got to actually be willing to talk and to try to figure out the problem.”