Vance says he’s ‘happy’ to take blame for Iran talks after Trump joked he’d ‘blame JD’

WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday, August 5, said that he is "happy" to take responsibility for the Trump administration's efforts to end the conflict with Iran, responding to criticism that he has become the public face of the negotiations while acknowledging the process has been uneven.

Speaking with Fox News, Vance said negotiations have involved setbacks alongside progress but maintained that the administration remains committed to securing an outcome that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. His remarks came weeks after President Donald Trump jokingly suggested Vance would be the one to blame if negotiations ultimately failed.

JD Vance says he is 'happy' to own Iran peace effort

During the interview, host Laura Ingraham noted that critics have argued that Vance now "owns" the administration's Iran policy because of his prominent role in the ongoing negotiations.

Vance said he welcomed that responsibility, saying, "well, first of all, if they want to make me own the effort to try to bring this war to a successful conclusion, I'm happy to let them make me own it. I am absolutely trying to do that."

The vice president acknowledged that the negotiations have been complex, saying the process has not been linear and has involved repeated progress and setbacks between the two sides.

"Sometimes requires one step forward, two steps back, and three steps forward and one step back," Vance said

Vance said the alternating reports of advances and fallouts are a result of dealing with what he described as Iran's "fractured" leadership. 

"The Iranians are extraordinarily difficult people. Number two, they have a fractured system. So there are people within their system who want the war to be over. There are also people within their system who are crazy radicals who want the war to continue," he said.

JD Vance rejects claims of a divide with Donald Trump over Iran policy

Ingraham also suggested that critics were attempting to create the impression of disagreements between Vance and Trump over Iran policy. Vance rejected that characterization, emphasizing that the president makes the administration's final decisions.

"The president runs this administration. He is the very top of the administration. He makes orders. We, of course, have debates and conversations about what exactly we should do. But when the president of the United States makes a decision, we are unified in this administration in carrying out that mission," he said. 

Vance added that he believes critics often target him instead of Trump because the president remains the administration's central political figure.

"If the worst thing that happens over the next couple years is that I take some flack for the president in order to make his administration more successful, I think he'll be happy about that."

The vice president's remarks came weeks after Trump jokingly suggested that Vance would shoulder the blame if the administration's diplomatic push with Iran failed.

When asked whether Vance was effectively serving as a political "human shield" for the negotiations, Trump responded, "if it works out, I'm going to take the credit. If it doesn't work out, I'm blaming JD."