JD Vance calls Iran ceasefire a ‘fragile truce’
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – APRIL 7: US Vice President J.D. Vance speaks at a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on April 7, 2026 in Budapest, Hungary. Vance supports Orban’s re-election bid in the Hungarian parliamentary elections scheduled for April 12. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst – Pool/Getty Images)
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Vice President J.D. Vance said the ceasefire in Iran is a “fragile ceasefire.”
The ceasefire announced on Tuesday halted attacks on the country for two weeks and triggered a relief rally in global markets.
Speaking in Hungary, Vance said Wednesday that Iran’s foreign minister had responded positively to the ceasefire, but that others in the country were “lying” about the deal.
“That’s why I say this is a fragile ceasefire,” he said. “There are people who want to come to the negotiating table and work with us to find a good deal, and then there are people who are lying about even the fragile ceasefire we have already signed.”
Vance, who is campaigning for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s re-election, said the United States “has clear military, diplomatic and, perhaps most importantly, extraordinary economic influence” over Iran.
“The President told us not to use these tools. He told us to come to the negotiating table. But if the Iranians don’t follow suit, they will realize that the President of the United States is not one to mess around. He’s impatient. He can’t wait to make progress,” Vance added.
US President Donald Trump threatened earlier this week that “an entire civilization will die” if a ceasefire agreement is not reached. He warned that Iran must either reach a deal or face major attacks on its civilian infrastructure.
Vance added: “What the president wanted to do was destroy the Iranian military, destroy their ability to wage conventional warfare. And that military goal…was achieved.”
He continued: “So the President gave the Iranians an ultimatum. He said, ‘Open the streets, stop trying to hold the world economy hostage, we will make a ceasefire.’ That’s exactly the agreement we reached last night.”
