Vice President JD Vance announced “significant progress” in the high-stakes negotiations with Iran before departing Switzerland on Monday, while emphasizing that the Trump administration will focus on verifiable actions rather than Iranian promises.

“I feel great about the progress that we made over the last couple of days,” Vance told reporters before boarding Air Force Two. He described the intense negotiations involving the U.S., Iran, and mediators from Qatar and Pakistan as “a productive 36 hours.”

Vance highlighted one of the most important developments: Iran has agreed to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear inspectors back into the country. However, he made clear that words alone are not enough. “Whether good faith or bad faith, you can't trust anybody's words. You have to trust what they actually do,” Vance said. 

“What the president has asked us to do is verify what they're doing, focus less on what they're saying.”

Vance added that negotiators established mechanisms to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and maintain the regional ceasefire, with support from key U.S. allies including Israel and Gulf Arab nations. He also stated that any potential unfreezing of Iranian funds would be tightly controlled and conditional.

“That money is not going to be unfrozen unless we continue to see progress,” Vance said. Addressing media reports of a possible diplomatic snub by the Iranians, Vance downplayed the drama: “There was this social media firestorm where everybody said the Iranians are going to leave. And then we proceeded to talk to them for like the next nine hours,” he said, urging caution about Iranian messaging.

Despite the positive tone, Vance acknowledged that a final deal is still far from complete. “This is laying a foundation for what could be a truly transformed Middle East,” he said. “But we haven't built a house yet.”

The Trump administration continues to negotiate from a clear position of strength, prioritizing rigorous verification over optimistic rhetoric.