Trump 'locked and loaded' if Iran fails to come to an agreement on nuclear weapons, Vance says

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that President Donald Trump is still hoping that negotiations with Iran will result in an agreement on ending Tehran's nuclear enrichment program. However, Trump remains "locked and loaded," should the negotiations fails.

"It takes two to tango," Vance said at a raucous White House press briefing in which he was a substitute press secretary. "We are not going to have a deal that allows the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon." 

Vance said that he believes the Iranians want to make a deal, and the president has directed diplomacy efforts to negotiation in "good faith." 

"And that's exactly what we've done," Vance said. 

If that doesn't work, Vance said, the U.S. would restart the military campaign. 

Trump said Monday that he had delayed a planned attack on Iran at the request of the Gulf States, citing what he called "serious negotiations." He doubled down on that Tuesday, saying the U.S. was just an "hour away" from launching an attack.

The U.S. and Israel have been at war with Iran since Feb. 28. While the U.S. and Iran are under a weeks-long ceasefire, the sides cannot agree on a peace agreement, with Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon a major sticking point.