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Vice President JD Vance Confirmed on Monday that talks with Iran over its nuclear program collapsed after U.S. officials concluded Tehran’s claims “didn’t pass the smell test,” prompting the president Donald Trump Authorize Epic Fury Operation.
Speaking on “Jesse Waters Prime Time,” Vance said U.S. envoys including Secretary of State Steve Witkoff Marco Rubio and Jared Kushner — conducted multiple rounds of “thoughtful” investigations in Geneva with Iranian delegation.
The purpose of the discussion is to contain Tehran’s nuclear program He said the deal was in exchange for lifting sanctions and averting a wider conflict, but that eventually fell apart.
“But the Iranians will come back to us and they’ll say, ‘Well, you know, enrichment for civilian purposes, for energy purposes, is a matter of national pride,'” Vance said.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Busaidi, President Donald Trump’s special representative for the Middle East Steve Witkopf and U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner meet ahead of U.S.-Iran talks in Muscat, Oman, February 6, 2026. (Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Anadolu, Getty Images)
“So we say, ‘Okay, that’s interesting, but why are you building an enrichment facility 70 feet underground? Why are you enriching to a level that’s well beyond civilian enrichment and only useful if your goal is to make a nuclear bomb?'” he said.
Vance clarified: “No one objects to the Iranians being able to make medical isotopes; the objection is that these enrichment facilities are used solely to make nuclear weapons.”
“If you say you want to concentrate medical isotopes and you’re trying to build a facility 70 to 80 feet underground, that doesn’t pass the smell test at all,” he explained.
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This video image provided by U.S. Central Command shows a missile being launched from a U.S. Navy ship in support of Operation Epic Fury on Saturday, February 28, 2026. (AP U.S. Central Command)
Vance spoke as Operation Epic Fury Ends It’s the third day. On February 28, U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated precision strikes into Iran’s hinterland, aiming to weaken Tehran’s missile arsenal and nuclear infrastructure.
A key issue is Iran’s enrichment of uranium to high levels, including material that is about 60 percent pure — a fraction of weapons grade but well above the limits set out in the 2015 nuclear deal — keeping the international community on high alert about proliferation risks.
“During President Trump’s term, we destroyed Iran’s ability to build a nuclear weapon,” Vance told Waters. “We’ve delayed them significantly. But I think the president is looking for the long term,” he said.
“Trump is looking for Iran Make significant long-term commitments that they will never build nuclear weapons, that they will not pursue capabilities that are on the verge of nuclear weapons. “
Vice President JD Vance speaks with Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on November 20, 2025 in Washington. (Julia Demary Nishinson/AP Photo)
“He wants to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, which requires a fundamental change of mindset on the part of the Iranian regime.”
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“The president will not rest until he achieves his most important goal of ensuring that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, not just in the next few years, not just because we wipe it out for dough or whatever.”
Describing this, Vance added: “There is no way Donald Trump will allow this country to descend into a multi-year conflict with no clear end and no clear goal.” administration He would rather see “Iran has a friendly regime, a stable country, and a country willing to cooperate with the United States.”
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