European leaders welcomed news of a ceasefire deal with Iran as Vice President JD Vance outlined the fragile nature of the truce and warned that Tehran must negotiate in good faith or face consequences, according to Guardian live coverage.
Vance said the military aim in Iran, or "decimating the Iranian military," had been "achieved," and said the focus had shifted to reopening the straits after Trump told Iran to "stop trying to hold the world's economy hostage." He called the truce "fragile" and said some people in Iran had replied "very favourable" to the proposed truce while others were "basically lying about what we have accomplished militarily" and "about the nature of the agreement."
The Ceasefire Terms
Vance said, "This is why I say this is a fragile truce. You have people who clearly want to come to the negotiating table and work with us to find a good deal, and then you have people who are lying about even the fragile truce that we've already struck." He added, "The president … has told me and he's told the entire negotiating team, the secretary of state, the special envoy, Steve Witkoff, he said: go and work in good faith to come to an agreement. … If the Iranians are willing, in good faith, to work with us, I think we can make an agreement; if they're going to lie, if they're going to cheat, if they're going to try to prevent even the fragile truce that we've set up from taking place, then they're not going to be happy."
The vice president emphasized the administration's approach to negotiations, saying, "He's told us to come to the negotiating table. But if the Iranians don't do the exact same thing, they're going to find out that the president, the United States, is not one to mess around. He's impatient. He's impatient to make progress. He has told us to negotiate in good faith. And I think if they negotiate in good faith, we will be able to find a deal. That's a big if. And ultimately it's up to the Iranians how they negotiate. I hope they make the right decision."
European Response and Diplomatic Tensions
The European Commission's spokespeople reacted reluctantly to JD Vance's comments alleging unprecedented EU interference in the Hungarian elections. The commission's tech spokesperson Thomas Regnier said that "what the European bureaucrats have been doing is [moving] to set out a strong framework to make sure that the elections remain in the hands of our citizens." The EU's foreign spokesperson Anitta Hipper said, "We have also our diplomatic channels and we will be using these also to convey our concerns to our US counterparts." She also said the EU was "not in the business of disclosing what we talk about with our partners."
The commission's deputy chief spokesperson Arianna Podestà said, "We have appropriate channels, appropriate frameworks, diplomatic contacts, [and] the joint statement. That is a framework in which we discuss matters of relevance with our partners. And that is where we will be bringing the discussions with the United States if they consider it something worthwhile pursuing with us."
Vance was in Budapest, where he praised Viktor Orbán and criticized EU and UK energy policies. Vance said Orbán "does a good job, because he does," and called him "a very, very important partner for peace." He said "most of the European political capitals have not been nearly as helpful to the cause of peace between Russia and Ukraine as Viktor Orbán has." Vance said, "It's the reason why I'm here. This is unprecedented. It's unprecedented for an American vice-president to come the week before an election." He added, "The reason why we're doing it is because we thought there were so much garbage happening against Viktor in this election, that we had to show that there are actually a lot of people and a lot of friends across the world who recognise that Viktor and his government are doing a good job, and they're important partners for peace."
Energy Policy Criticism
Vance also said it was "darkly ironic that people are accusing me of engaging in some kind of foreign influence." He criticized European and UK energy policies, saying middle-class Britons could not afford to heat their homes or transport themselves to work because their leadership had made energy so expensive, and said, "It is not magical that the United States has lower energy costs in the United Kingdom. It's because we've made smart decisions and their leadership is not. They could change course, and we hope that they will." He then criticized EU scrutiny of US social media platforms and Brussels bureaucracy.
Germany rejected Vance's accusations that the European Union was interfering in the upcoming election in Hungary. A government spokesperson said Vance's presence in Hungary "already shows, or speaks for itself, who is interfering in what." Russia also backed Vance's claims. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, "Many forces in Europe, many forces in Brussels, would not like Orbán to win the elections again." He added, "This is well known, it's obvious to the naked eye, and, of course, they're playing into the hands of those forces that politically oppose Orbán and believe that publishing such materials could harm him."
Why This Matters:
The ceasefire deal with Iran carries significant implications for global energy markets and economic stability, particularly given the focus on reopening strategic shipping lanes that impact worldwide commerce. The fragile nature of the truce underscores the challenges of negotiating with a regime that Vance suggests contains factions willing to misrepresent both military outcomes and diplomatic agreements. The administration's emphasis on good-faith negotiations, backed by credible consequences for Iranian deception, reflects a transactional approach to foreign policy that prioritizes American interests and economic security. The parallel tensions between Washington and Brussels over European energy policy and institutional interference in member state elections highlight broader questions about sovereignty, regulatory overreach, and the economic costs of policy choices that have made energy unaffordable for middle-class Europeans. The outcome of both the Iranian negotiations and the Hungarian election will test the durability of transatlantic relationships and competing visions of governance.