BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – APRIL 7: U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance speaks during a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on April 7, 2026 in Budapest, Hungary. Vance supports Orbán’s re-election in Hungary’s parliamentary elections scheduled for April 12. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst – Pool/Getty Images)
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Vice President J.D. Vance called the Iran ceasefire a “fragile ceasefire.”
The ceasefire announced on Tuesday halted attacks on the country for two weeks and sparked relief rallies in global markets.
Speaking in Hungary on Wednesday, Vance said Iran’s foreign minister had responded well to the ceasefire, but that the rest of the country had been “lied to” about the deal.
“This is why I say this is a fragile ceasefire,” he said. “While there are people who clearly want to come to the negotiating table and work with us to find a good deal, there are others who are even lying about the fragile ceasefire we already have.”
Vance, who is campaigning for the re-election of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, said the United States has “clear military and diplomatic influence, and perhaps most importantly, we have extraordinary economic influence” over Iran.
“The president told us not to use those tools. He told us to come to the table. But if Iran doesn’t do the exact same thing, you’ll see that the American president is not one to tinker. He’s impatient. He’s impatient for progress,” Vance added.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump threatened that “the entire civilization will perish” without a cease-fire agreement. He warned that Iran must sign a deal or face major attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Vance added: “What the president set out to do was destroy Iran’s military and destroy its ability to wage conventional war. And that military goal… has been achieved.”
“So what the president essentially did was give the Iranians an ultimatum: ‘Open the streets, stop trying to hold the world economy hostage, and we will have a ceasefire.'” And that is exactly the agreement we reached last night. ”
