Vance: Even if the Negotiation Is Not Successful, ‘We Have Accomplished the Core Mission’ in Iran

EXCERPT:

VANCE: “So my attitude on this Laura, 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 that 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, Laura, 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 and some of the old radicals who don’t want to change their behavior. Part of what we’re trying to do in this negotiation, Laura, is to see how serious they actually are. And to be serious, they have got to not just say the right things, they have got to make real concessions. So 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 negotiations are 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 accomplished a whole lot for the American people."