What They’re Saying About the U.S.–Iran Talks—July 1, 2026

U.S.

President Donald Trump | Comments to Press

“As far as things are going, the denuclearization of Iran is moving along well. They’ve had a very good meeting and we’ll see. We hit them very hard for three nights, as you know. But we’re getting along very well, so I call it the denuclearization. And it’s all taking place, it’s all going well. . . . the oil prices [are] way down, I see it hit 68 today. That’s lower than when I started, I guess you could call it an attack on Iran so they never have a nuclear weapon.”

Vice President JD Vance | Comments to Press

[Question: “Can you commit that the U.S. won’t return to full-fledged combat operations before the 60-day clock on the MOU is up?”]

“Trump is not going to send our military back in unless he has to.”

Vice President JD Vance | Press Interview

“So I think what the president has told us to do is use this MOU to sort of refill the world’s oil economy, to refill some stocks, and then to see where the hand is.”

Vice President JD Vance | Press Interview

“One of the things I find just fascinating and frustrating about the Iranians is they’ll say, ‘No, no, there aren’t peace talks ongoing,’ but there are technical talks between the United States and Iran about the peace deal. It’s a Persian negotiating tactic and a Persian rhetorical device that I don't understand.”

Vice President JD Vance | Press Interview

“You know, the Iranians have not hit ships in the last couple of weeks, and the oil is flowing in the Strait of Hormuz in part because the president made very clear that if the Iranians hit ships, we were going to hit back. You know, it’s going to take sometimes the carrot and the stick here, but I actually think the United States is in a great position however the negotiation ultimately shakes out. If the negotiation is successful—which, obviously, you want it to be successful—you have an Iran that is permanently transformed, that’s not funding regional terrorism and instability, that has permanently given up on any nuclear weapons ambition, and that as a result is welcomed back into the world economy. That’s a great outcome for the American people; it’s a great outcome for the whole region. If, on the other hand, the Iranians don’t behave, if they don’t make the concessions in the negotiations that we need to see, their nuclear program is still destroyed, their conventional military is still destroyed, and the United States is still in a much stronger position relative to the Iranians. My attitude on this is we have all the cards in the negotiation. We obviously want it to be successful, but even if it’s not successful, we’ve accomplished the core mission, which is to ensure the Iranians never have a nuclear weapon. In other words, it’s a win-win outcome for the American people. And I think because of that, what you see in the room is I think evidence of a real push and pull in their system.  There are people within the Iranian system who recognize the way that they have done business for 47 years is a mistake and they want to turn over a new leaf. You also see some resistance—some of the old hardliners, some of the old radicals who don’t want to change their behavior. Part of what we’re trying to do in this negotiation . . . is to see how serious they actually are. And to be serious, they’ve got to not just say the right things, they’ve got to make real concessions. Whether it’s the president, me, anybody else in the negotiation, we care a lot less about what the Iranians say—we care a lot more about what they do. We see some positive signs, obviously we see some negative signs. What the president has told us is work the problem, see where the negotiation is going to lead, and if it doesn’t lead to a successful resolution on the diplomatic side, we still have a lot of optionality and we still have accomplished a whole lot for the American people.”

Vice President JD Vance | Press Interview

“Could this be a very important historical moment? The answer is obviously yes, but again how exactly this plays out is very much contention on the way that the Iranians respond to the leverage the president has put on them. And if they respond well I think we’re going to look back at this and say we turned over a new leaf. Now a lot of people are skeptical, including me, that [this]will ultimately happen. And if the Iranians perform or behave poorly, then I think we still have a lot of leverage points to ensure that this ends up in a place that is good for America’s objectives. Fundamentally, there is a desire here for everyone to say this is over, or the Democrats and even, frankly, some Republicans are saying, well, you know, this shows that Trump blinked. And then other people are saying it’s all over, and the Iranians are saying this, and I would be highly skeptical of what everybody says right now. I think [Secretary of State Marco Rubio] said this the other day—he said this is the end of the beginning, OK. There is a lot more game to play, and there are a lot more cards that we’re going to see, to mix metaphors here, and the good things about it is that we’re served by an administration, we’re served by a president of the United States who is constantly trying to figure out how to gain an edge for the American people. I ultimately strongly believe we will look back on this moment and say we got to a good place. It’s going to take a lot of work—not just in the negotiation arena, but in the other arenas, too.”

Vice President JD Vance | Press Interview

“I think what the President has said is let this play out. There are a few things that we want. We want durable commitments that are verifiable and backed up by inspections that Iran will denuclearize their entire country, ok. We’re going to see how we get there, number two, we want to see what kind of an arrangement actually exists in the Middle East. Between not just Iran and the United States, but the GCC, Israel, Lebanon, we’re going to play that situation out. And then on the Strait of Hormuz, I think you actually said it well, which is that the Strait is open in the sense that to oil traffic we’re seeing more oil come out of the Strait of Hormuz. And some days it’s actually more oil coming out of the Strait than came out before the war even started, so there’s this element of where the world oil economy is kind of getting back into gear. That’s going to take a little bit of time, but you’ve already seen the prices come way down.”

Vice President JD Vance | Speech

“If the Iranians try to rebuild the nuclear program, the president’s got options. If the Iranians try to threaten their neighbors or fund terrorism, we’ve got options. But what we must never do is drop bombs just for the sake of dropping bombs. And that is what the president will never ask you to do. He’ll ask you to go to war, yes. But when he asks you to go to war, he’ll tell you exactly what you're going for. And I think that is what you should expect out of your political leadership.”

Vice President JD Vance | Speech

“We dropped some bombs a couple of days ago. You know why? Because the Iranians were shooting at commercial ships. We dropped some bombs, we applied some leverage, and we’ve had free commercial transit for the last three days.”

Vice President JD Vance | Speech

“What I noticed about the people who are attacking the administration for negotiating is that they are the very same people who encouraged us to drop a few more bombs on places like Afghanistan. Those people refused to say what we were dropping bombs for.”

Vice President JD Vance | Speech

“There are people in this country who want to keep going and keep going. Why do we engage in negotiation? It’s not out of weakness, but it’s out of strength.”

Vice President JD Vance | Speech

“Iranians are further away from developing a nuclear bomb than they have ever been since basically the last 20–30 years.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent | Press Interview

“The Iranians thus far have not been able to sell their oil, because the buyers are a little wary of, will it be re-sanctioned. No one other than China, who was already buying it when it was sanctioned, has bought it, so it’s still trading at a discount. . . . [T]his is a reason for the Iranians really to embrace these negotiations.”

Energy Secretary Chris Wright | Press Interview

“Iran has not been cooperative at all yet. With or without Iran, we will ensure energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Of course, better with their cooperation. We want to put an end to their nuclear program.”

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly | Press Interview

“[T]he President has been clear . . . [that] either way . . . we have created a tremendously more safe and protective situation for our homeland here in the United States. Again, this is a country that for 47 years has chanted ‘Death to America,’ has threatened our troops overseas, [and] as President Trump said they have long leveraged their proxies to commit atrocities against our troops. So, either way, we have paved the way for denuclearization of Iran, their ballistic missiles again are destroyed, their military capabilities are totally demolished. And now those negotiations continue towards a final deal, and either way the United States is safer and wins, but the president has made clear if they shoot at us, we’ll shoot back. But he feels like the United States and Iran have a good opportunity to make a deal that would eliminate their nuclear capabilities.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson | Press Interview

[Question: “How concerned are you that the United States will resume its bombing campaigns [against Iran], and what would that do, in your view, to the 60-day clock for congressional approval?”]

“We are very hopeful that the Iranians will cease the hostilities, come to their senses, and allow the Strait of Hormuz to remain open for commerce. And work towards a lasting peace. Look, Operation Epic Fury was an extraordinary success. It was done in very short order and, in a very short time period, we ensured that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. They’re the largest state sponsor of terrorism, and it’s a very important thing for the world—not just for America, for our allies and everyone els—that you have a stable, peaceful situation there. So I know that our envoy, our secretary of state, our personnel are doing everything they possibly can to bring this to a conclusion as soon as possible. We have our fingers crossed and we’re praying that that will happen and that we have good faith actors on the other side of the table.”

[Question: “Is the 60-day clock, though currently paused, or would it restart entirely?”]

“I suppose it would have to restart entirely. We ended Operation Epic Fury many weeks ago and we had been in a period of peace. We’re hoping that we can restore that so that there’s not kinetic activity and ongoing warlike activities. . . . I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about it, but members of Congress are watching it very closely, as all Americans are.”

Sen. Chris Murphy | X

“Trump’s Iran war continues to be a debacle, the shooting has not really stopped. There was a ceasefire, and then over the weekend we saw Iran targeting ships in the Strait again, and America targeting Iran again. Maybe what’s most unforgivable right now, is the fact that American have no idea what’s going on. Because Trump or Rubio will say one thing and then almost immediately be contradicted by the actual facts on the ground or Iranian statements. Let me give you a couple examples, first, Trump and Rubio declared that upon this agreement the Strait was going to be open. And of course we know that didn’t end up being true, Iran started targeting ships, traffic dropped off over the weekend. This is probably going to be the new normal, that there’s going to be small-scale fire or drone attacks. The strait will be open for a few days and then closed for a few days. The President and Marco Rubio have said that there’s going to be no Iranian control of the strait, meaning they [Iran] won’t be able to toll the Strait, make ships pay a price. Well Iran says differently, in fact they’ve entered into an agreement with Oman. Oman lies on the other side of the Strait, whereby they’re actually going to be coming up with a plan to impose a tax on every ship that comes through the Strait. Directly contradicting what Rubio has said. Trump has made up this fantastical claim that yes though we’re giving lots of money in sanctions relief to Iran, they’ve made an agreement to buy lots of stuff from American farmers. Apparently that’s just  a bald faced lie, that’s not true at all. And then you have this issue of inspections, this one’s from JD Vance, he made this big announcement that Iran had allowed the IAEA inspectors to come into the country. And almost immediately, Iran said, we’ve made no such promise at all. Just over and over and over again, you see that Trump and Rubio and Vance are either lying, or they have no idea what’s being agreed to . It’s just mass confusion for members of Congress, but also for the American public. Trump got us into a war he couldn’t win, he’s now in a negotiation he can’t win. And as usual, he is lying to us, and we have to hold him to account.”

IRAN

Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr | Statement

“The clenched fist of the martyr leader at the moment of his ascension is the enduring symbol of our national security doctrine. The file on avenging the pure blood of the great Khamenei and the oppressed martyrs of Iran remains open, and the planners and perpetrators of these crimes will, in due time—which will not be late—receive their just deserts at the hands of ‘righteous elements.’”

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf | Press Interview

“From the day the blockade was lifted until today, we have exported more than 40 million barrels of oil. By contrast, during the previous 50 to nearly 60 days, we were genuinely unable to export even a single barrel of oil.”

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf | Press Interview

“We are pursuing dialogue, but if the dialogue is not implemented, we are also prepared for war and will respond accordingly.”

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf | Press Interview

“There are disagreements even within the United States. You can see that Marco Rubio is pursuing one approach, while JD Vance is pursuing another.”

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi | X

“The terms of the Islamabad MoU are crystal clear and public for all to see. POTUS has committed the U.S. to muzzling its pets in Tel Aviv. If they ignore their master, Iran will school them. Any threat against our People and Leadership will receive Immediate Powerful Response.”

ISRAEL

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu | Remarks

“And perhaps the most important lesson: we created a wide buffer zone along the entire northern border. We do not accept a reality where a terrorist army borders our frontier, able to build tunnels, the depth of which is hard to imagine; one must see it to believe it, that are ready and able to infiltrate our border. This security space separates those who wish us harm from the citizens of Israel. We will remain in the defensive strip in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary. And we will restore security and prosperity to the residents of the North, just as we did for the residents of the South. The western Negev today is inside Gaza. The 'Lebanon buffer zone today is inside Lebanon. This is a critical lesson. And there is another one. The President noted it. For the first time in decades, Israeli representatives held direct negotiations with representatives of the Lebanese government, mediated by the United States, on a combined military and diplomatic solution. A few days ago, we achieved a historic breakthrough. We signed an agreement of understandings that disconnects the Lebanese front from the Iranian front. This agreement recognizes Israel's right to maintain the buffer zone in Lebanon until we remove the threat to our security posed by Hezbollah. One cannot understate the magnitude of the military and diplomatic blow this deals to Hezbollah and Iran. Iran, which wanted to force us to withdraw from southern Lebanon, will not see that happen.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu | Comments to IDF Soldiers in Southern Lebanon

“You have done tremendous work here, and essentially, what we have done is take the Iranian axis and start crushing it. We struck inside Iran itself, something no one believed, and we removed an existential threat. The most important link in the Iranian axis was here—Hezbollah. There were 150,000 missiles and rockets, the highest density of missiles and rockets on planet Earth. Today, they have about 8% left. It is still significant, but it is no longer what it was. In your operations, we have eliminated 9,000 terrorists, hundreds of terrorists in recent weeks. And of course, the main thing we did—and this is what you are doing here—is to create buffer zones, security zones, not on our side of the border, but on their side. . . . Since we have achieved— thanks to your operations here—Lebanon’s recognition of Israel and Israel’s recognition of Lebanon, we say to both Iran and Hezbollah: get out of here, you have no business being here. There are two sovereign states that want to make peace between them; want to truly restore a reality of security and prosperity to the residents of the North and also to the residents of Lebanon. ‘You must leave’ –  this is a slap in the face, a blow to the face of the Iranian axis, and it won't necessarily go unchallenged. . . . Our insistence is that we will not leave southern Lebanon until the threat is eliminated. And as long as Hezbollah is armed and present here, posing a threat to us—we will remain here.”