US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signalled that Washington wanted a swift end to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, while Vice President JD Vance warned that the United States was prepared to act if Tehran pursued a nuclear weapon.
Speaking publicly, Trump was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times, “...We're going to end that war very quickly. They want to make a deal so badly...You are going to see oil prices plummet. They're going to come down. There's so much oil out there, they're going to come plummeting down.”
His remarks came amid reports of an ongoing diplomatic push between Washington and Tehran.
US pushes for agreement with Iran
According to reports cited by HT, Trump has given Iranian negotiators a “two to three days” window to finalise a peace agreement aimed at ending the conflict involving the West Asian country.
Vice President JD Vance said the US remained open to diplomacy but made it clear that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remained Washington’s central objective.
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“...What I think is that the Iranians want to make a deal, Iranians recognise that a nuclear weapon is the red line for the United States of America...But we're not going to know until we're actually putting pen to paper on signing a deal...It's ultimately up to the Iranians whether they are willing to meet us, because I think we're certainly doing a good job and we're certainly negotiating in good faith. We're going to have to see what ultimately happens with them.
I can't say with confidence because I don't know what's in the mind of the other side,” Vance said during a press conference, per a report by HT.
#WATCH | US President Donald Trump says, "...We're going to end that war very quickly. They want to make a deal so badly...You are going to see oil prices plummet. They're going to come down. There's so much oil out there, they're going to come plummeting down"
— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2026
(Source: The… pic.twitter.com/cgMaNaAvnb
‘Locked and loaded’ warning
Vance also warned that the US administration was prepared to escalate its response if talks failed.
“We are not going to have a deal that allows the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon — so as @POTUS just told me, we're locked and loaded. We don't want to go down that pathway, but the President is willing and able to go down that pathway if we have to,” he said.
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The Vice President argued that an Iranian nuclear weapon could trigger wider nuclear proliferation across the Gulf region and beyond.
.@VP: "Iran can never have a nuclear weapon... Iran would really be the first domino in what would set off a nuclear arms race all over the world. That's very, very bad for the safety of our country." pic.twitter.com/PlkJE2cx1G
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 19, 2026
Iran reiterates Hormuz position
Meanwhile, Iran maintained a firm stance on the Strait of Hormuz. Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said Tehran would strongly defend its rights in the strategic waterway.
According to PressTv, Azizi warned that Iran would show “no leniency” in protecting its interests in the region.