President Donald Trump joked on April 1 that he would pin responsibility on Vice President J.D. Vance if talks to end the war with Iran collapse, remarks that came amid conflicting accounts about whether meaningful negotiations are underway and amid renewed U.S. threats of escalation. The exchange occurred at a White House Easter event closed to the press; a video briefly posted to the White House website and YouTube before being removed.
“He’s working on the deal, right? How’s that moving? Is it OK? The big deal?” Trump asked Vance in front of administration officials and supporters, according to the footage. Vance, seated among the audience, replied that talks with Iranian officials were “going good.” Trump then laughed, saying, “So, if it doesn’t happen, I’m blaming J.D. Vance. If it does happen, I’m taking full credit.” He added, “I think it has to happen. I think they’re desperate.”
The remarks came hours before Trump’s televised address from the White House in which he declared the war in Iran — which U.S. officials say began in February after coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel — was “nearing completion.” In that 19-minute speech the president warned of further force if a deal is not reached quickly, saying U.S. forces would “hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks” and that Washington would “bring them back to the stone ages where they belong.”
The White House banter and the president’s escalation threats sit alongside denials from Iranian officials that substantive negotiations with the U.S. are taking place. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera he had received messages from Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, but added, “There is no truth to the claim of negotiations with any party in Iran,” and said Iran had “never had a good experience” negotiating with the United States. “The trust level is at zero,” he said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the American people directly in a letter released ahead of Trump’s address, framing the moment as a choice between confrontation and engagement and warning that the outcome would shape generations. That message, and Tehran’s public posture, contrast with a New York Times report that U.S. intelligence agencies have recently assessed Tehran sees itself as having the upper hand in the conflict — a belief that could reduce Iran’s incentive to enter substantive talks to end the fighting.
The mixed signals — White House officials suggesting progress while Iranian leaders and some U.S. intelligence assessments point to reluctance — underscore the precarious diplomatic posture as both sides exchange warnings and limited communications. The deleted White House footage and the lighthearted public exchange with Vance highlighted an informal moment inside the administration, but it did little to resolve the broader questions about whether a negotiated end to the fighting is realistically attainable in the near term.