![\"Credit:](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/7bf4ba2fa16380975ca125a6c6597aea.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Credit: Alex Wong\/Getty<\/p>\n
NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump joked during an Easter event at the White House on Wednesday, April 1, that he would let Vice President JD Vance take the fall if negotiations to end the war in Iran were to fall apart<\/p>\n
Vance told the president that U.S. talks with Iran were “going good”<\/p>\n
Iranian officials have denied engaging in substantial negotiations with the U.S.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump<\/a> joked during an Easter event at the White House on Wednesday, April 1, that he plans to hold Vice President JD Vance<\/a> responsible if negotiations to end the war in Iran ultimately fall apart.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s working on the deal, right? How\u2019s that moving? Is it OK? The big deal?\u201d Trump, 79, asked Vance, 41, in front of administration officials and supporters. A video<\/a> of the event, which was closed to the press, briefly appeared on the White House\u2019s website and YouTube channel before it was deleted.<\/p>\n Vance, responding to Trump\u2019s question from the audience, said talks with Iranian officials were \u201cgoing good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou see it happening?\u201d Trump asked.<\/p>\n \u201cUh, we\u2019re gonna brief you, too,\u201d Vance replied.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, if it doesn\u2019t happen, I\u2019m blaming JD Vance,\u201d Trump said to laughter. \u201cIf it does happen, I\u2019m taking full credit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it has to happen,\u201d Trump added. \u201cI think they\u2019re desperate.\u201d<\/p>\n In a televised address from the White House on Wednesday evening, Trump said the war in Iran, which began in February with an attack from the U.S. and Israel, was \u201cnearing completion.\u201d He touted the U.S. and Israel\u2019s military action in Iran as an overwhelming success, while also threatening to escalate the conflict<\/a> if a deal to end the war is not reached quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,\u201d Trump said in the 19-minute address<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re going to bring them back to the stone ages where they belong. In the meantime, discussions are ongoing.\u201d<\/p>\n Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the American people directly in a letter<\/a> ahead of Trump\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n \u201cToday the world stands at a crossroads,\u201d Pezeshkian wrote. \u201cContinuing along the path of confrontation is more costly and futile than ever before. The choice between confrontation and engagement is both real and consequential; its outcome will shape the future for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier on Wednesday, The New York Times<\/a> reported that U.S. intelligence agencies have surmised in recent days that the Iranian government is unwilling to engage in substantial talks to end the fighting because it believes itself to have the upper hand in the war.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n