Vance says US-Iran talks make 'a lot of progress,' Iran reacts to Trump's military action threats

US Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday the United States and Iran have made a lot of progress in their talks and neither side ‌wants to see a resumption of the military campaign.

"We think that we've made a lot of progress. We think the Iranians want to make a deal," Vance told reporters at a White House briefing.

If Iran were to acquire nuclear weapons, countries in the Gulf region and potentially elsewhere could seek to develop their own nuclear capabilities, Vance said, adding that Washington wants Tehran to cooperate on measures that would prevent Iran from rebuilding its nuclear weapons capability in the coming years.

"That's what we're trying to achieve in negotiations," he said.

US President Trump said earlier on Tuesday the war would end "very quickly." He also said that the US may strike Iran again, claiming he was only an hour away from deciding on an attack before postponing it at the request of US allies in the Gulf.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said Iran's leaders were "begging" to make a deal, but warned that a new US attack could take place in the coming days if no agreement is reached. 

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, said on social media on Tuesday that Iran is united and resolute and is prepared to confront any military aggression. "For us, surrender has no meaning; either we achieve victory or become martyrs," he said.

US issues new sanctions against Iran

The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Tuesday designated and blocked a prominent Iranian foreign currency exchange house and associated front companies, claiming they oversee hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions on behalf of sanctioned Iranian banks.

The action, part of the US Economic Fury campaign, targets more than 50 companies, individuals and vessels generating revenue for Tehran, the department said in a press release.

US seizes Iran-linked oil tanker in Indian Ocean

The Trump administration seized an Iran-linked oil tanker in the Indian Ocean overnight, marking at least the third US seizure of a vessel tied to Iranian oil shipments, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing three US officials.

Ship-tracking data showed the vessel, known as the Skywave, sailed just west of Malaysia on Tuesday after transiting the Malacca Strait, according to the report.

The vessel was likely loaded with more than 1 million barrels of crude at Iran's Kharg Island in February, according to brokers and data from Lloyds List Intelligence. It was heading back to the Middle East when it was seized, said the report.

(With input from agencies)