27/06/2026 16:48 - Internacionales
US Vice President JD Vance appeared on Friday, June 27, 2026, on HBO's popular talk show Real Time with Bill Maher with a clear message about negotiations with Iran: "The United States wins either way." The statement comes at a critical moment in the ongoing conflict, just hours before new military exchanges were reported in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz—a narrow waterway through which nearly 20% of the world's petroleum passes.
During the interview, Vance defended the Trump administration's negotiating position with specific arguments:
Vance sent a conciliatory message: "If they are willing to give up their long-term nuclear weapons ambitions, then the United States is willing to fundamentally transform our relationship with that country."
The conflict between the United States and Iran began on March 2, 2026, following the death of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader. Since then:
A 60-day memorandum of understanding was signed between Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Vance's statements took on immediate relevance when, just hours after the broadcast, it was reported that:
United States carried out attacks against Iranian military targets overnight.
Iran responded with attacks against targets linked to US forces on Saturday.
This represents the worst escalation since the signing of the provisional peace agreement.
Critics of the memorandum of understanding argue that the United States is negotiating from a weak position. Key concerns include:
Note: Uranium enriched to 60% is well above the 3-5% needed for civilian nuclear power but below the 90% typically required for weapons. However, it significantly shortens the time needed to reach weapons-grade material.
Two days before the interview, Vance visited the presidential library of Richard Nixon in California, where he defended the former president:
"If Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be a 12-hour news story. The idea that it would have ended a presidency is crazy."
Nixon is remembered for negotiating nuclear arms control agreements with the Soviet Union and opening diplomatic relations with communist China—historical parallels that observers find significant given current negotiations with Iran.
Vance took advantage of his television appearance to promote his new memoir "Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith". The Vice President, who once described himself as an "angry atheist," has become one of the most influential Catholics in American politics.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
