Image source, Getty Images

Here are some of the toplines from Vance's briefing to reporters.

• Vance, who led the US delegation in talks with Iran that took place last month in Pakistan, spoke at length about the war
• He said that the ball is in Iran's court, and that the US is "locked and loaded" to aggressively attack Iran again
• He also reiterated the administration's position that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, and that if Tehran did have the bomb it would inspire other countries in the region to pursue it too
• Vance also defended the White House decision to establish a $1.8bn fund to pay out to people who were "mistreated" by the previous administration under Democrat Joe Biden
• He said that the money will be distributed on a case-by-case basis, but he refused to say whether people convicted of assaulted police officers during the Capitol Hill riot in 2021 should be compensated
• He also said that while in China, Trump and Xi Jinping spoke about efforts to block exporters in the country from sending the deadly drug fentanyl to the US
• The VP also denied that he was auditioning for president with his appearance in the briefing room, saying that he is not "a future presidential candidate"
• He also took questions on the US decision to withhold US troops from being deployed to Poland, and about the shooting at mosque in San Diego on Monday

We're ending our live coverage but you can read more about the $1.8bn compensation fund here: 'Not a big fan' - Top Republican breaks with Trump on $1.8bn compensation fund

Image source, Reuters

In his press briefing Vice President JD Vance said he believes the US has made "a lot of progress" in the negotiations with Iran and insisted that "this is not a forever war".

He reiterated that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, arguing it would lead to other nations "scrambling" to get one and that this would "make us all less safe".

He said Iran is a "proud civilisation" with "amazing people" but called it "fractured", meaning it is sometimes "not totally clear" what the position of the negotiating team is.

The VP said he is aware of reporting about Russia taking possession of Iran's enriched uranium - this is not part of the US plan, he said, but adding that he is not going to make commitments on negotiations during his briefing.

In response to a question about the effect of the war on prices in the US, he said he feels "confident" that "prices are going to come down" after the war.

And he was asked about comments from Trump last week, who said: "I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing, we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all."

Vance says the remark was "totally taken out of context" and that the president worries about his fellow Americans "every single day".

'This is not a forever war' insists Vance when pressed on Iranpublished at 19:59 BST 19 May

19:59 BST 19 May

Daniel Bush
Washington correspondent

Tuesday was Vice President JD Vance’s turn to star in the rotating show of Cabinet secretaries filling in at the White House press briefing.

The briefing was dominated by questions about the war in Iran - a topic that underscored Vance’s difficult balancing act as VP and a potential 2028 contender.

Vance has a long history of opposing US entanglements abroad, and ran in 2024 alongside President Donald Trump on a promise to usher in another era of “America First” foreign policy.

But at the White House on Tuesday, Vance was forced to take ownership, along with Trump, of a war that has now lasted nearly three months with no clear end in sight.

“This is not a forever war. We’re going to take care of business and come home,” Vance told reporters.

Yet Vance did not offer a clear roadmap for how - or when - the conflict might end. He said “a lot of good progress has been made” in negotiations with Iran, but didn’t specify if Washington or Tehran were any closer to reaching a deal.

Vance also had to defend Trump’s recent comment that he wasn’t taking Americans’ financial situations into account in his Iran decision-making. The vice president insisted the administration was doing both things at once: looking out for everyday Americans at home, and ensuring their safety abroad.

It was a smooth answer, but one that may be small solace to voters wondering when the war will end - and whether or not to reward Republicans in November.

Vance finishes up his press briefing with a string of questions, including on President Trump's stock trading history and anti-immigration protests in the UK.

He is asked about the Unite the Kingdom rally organised by far-right figure Tommy Robinson in London on Saturday.

Vance says he believes in "protecting our borders" and tells protesters to "keep on going".

We will bring you a recap of the press briefing shortly.

Image source, Getty Images

A little earlier in the session, Vance was asked whether he believed money should be given to individuals who assaulted police officers during the 6 January riots.

The vice-president repeated that situations would be looked at on a "case-by-case" basis when assessing suitability.

He was then asked about comments from President Donald Trump last week, and whether the president is not taking into account the financial situation of Americans as a result of the Iran war.

Trump told reporters last week: "I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing, we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all."

Vance says the remark was "totally taken out of context" and that the president worries about his fellow Americans "every single day".

He adds that Trump is capable of caring about the financial security of Americans while also being focused on the situation in Iran.

There is another question for the vice president on Iran.

A reporter asks whether other countries will be able to play a bigger role in moving the two countries towards a deal.

Vance says that negotiations will continue, but in private. He's also asked whether the US is being "strung along" by Iran.

"You never know until you know," he says. "All we can do is negotiate in good faith and try to find a pathway that accomplished the president's objectives."

The vice president has been asked for his message to voters who might feel that promises for no new wars and cuts to fuel prices and inflation have been broken.

JD Vance replies that Trump's team has delivered "great wins for the American people".

He lists tax cuts and more construction jobs as examples, but accepts that the war in the Middle East has seen prices at the pump go up for Americans.

"I feel quite confident after we've taken care of business in the Middle East those prices are going to come down," he says.

He's then asked about the length of the conflict, which is now approaching three months.

Vance says the "active period of conflict" lasted around five weeks, and reiterates that a chunk of the 11 weeks so far has been under a ceasefire.

"This is not a forever war, we're going to take care of business and come home," he adds.

Image source, EPA

A journalist says that last week the Pentagon halted the deployment of 4000 troops to Poland and suggests the US is "rewarding Putin" and "punishing" Poland.

Vance says he wants to pursue a policy "that focuses on the interests of the United States" and that Trump is trying to promote "European independence and sovereignty" and wants Europe to "take more ownership over its own territorial integrity".

"Poland is capable of defending itself with a lot of support from the United States," Vance says.

The delays to the troop deployment was "just a standard delay in rotation," he adds.

A reporter brings up jokes about the death of Charlie Kirk and asks Vance to comment as the possible "future presidential candidate".

Vance says he is not a candidate, "I'm a vice president and I really like my job".

He sidesteps the topic of his political future and instead talks about the shooting at a San Diego Islamic centre yesterday that left multiple people dead.

No one should celebrate political violence of any kind, he adds.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Among many Republican voters, JD Vance is seen as the most likely successor to President Donald Trump when it comes time for the next presidential election in 2028.

For others, it's Marco Rubio, the current secretary of state.

We don't, however, know President Trump's thinking on the matter. He often jokes about it.

“Who’s it going to be? Is it gonna be JD? Is it gonna be somebody else? I don’t know,” he said earlier in May.

“Who likes JD Vance?” he asked a crowd at the White House. “Who likes Marco Rubio?” he continued, adding that the pair “sound like a good ticket".

In some ways, this briefing - and Rubio's two weeks ago - is something of an audition. It's not just for the White House press corps, or for Americans more broadly.

President Trump will almost certainly be watching as well, alongside millions of potential voters.

Vance only briefly addressed the issue, dismissing the topic in this briefing.

"I'm not a potential, future candidate. I'm a vice president. I really like my job and I'm going to try to do as good of a job as I can," he said.

Image source, Getty Images

Returning to the topic of Iran, Vance says he is aware of reporting about Russia taking possession of Iran's enriched uranium.

He says this is not currently part of the plan from the United States government but that he is not going to make commitments on negotiations during his briefing to journalists.

The vice-president is then asked about the supply fentanyl in the US from China, and says that the topic was brought up between President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping during last week's talks.

He says that the administration's sense is that Xi is willing to work with the US on the topic, while also saying that Trump has made "incredible strides" in reducing the number of fentanyl deaths in the US.

Answering a follow-up question about January 6 rioters, Vance says things will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis

He's not "trying to give money to anybody who attacked a police officer", Vance says, but he is trying to compensate people who were "mistreated by the legal system".

If they think someone was "unfairly prosecuted" and "deserves just compensation" then that is what this fund will provide.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Predictably, Vice President JD Vance has also been asked about the extremely controversial $1.8bn fund that the justice department said would be used to compensate people "unfairly" being investigated by prior administrations.

Democrats have widely criticised the move, describing the fund as a "slush fund" for Trump's political allies, including some charged or convicted in relation to the 6 January 2021 riot at the US Capitol.

His answer echoes those we heard from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Capitol Hill earlier today.

The argument from the Trump administration so far is that, in theory, the fund is non-partisan and can theoretically benefit anyone - Democrats, Republicans or Independents - who has been wronged by a previous administration.

Vance said that even Hunter Biden, the son of the former president, could apply to the fund.

For critics, however, that answer will likely not be satisfactory, or reassuring.

Of the five members of the commission that will distribute the compensation fund, four will be appointed by the attorney general, who, at least for the moment, is Trump's handpicked former personal attorney.

Vance is now asked about the "anti-weaponisation fund", the $1.8bn (£1.3bn) fund announced by the justice department to compensate people who have been "unfairly" investigated by prior administrations.

A reporter asks if it's fair that taxpayers fund the programme if it's used to give money to rioters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6.

Vance claims there has been a mis-characterisation of the fund, saying it is for compensation for those who feel they were targeted.

"We're trying to compensate people where the book was thrown at them, they were mistreated by the legal system," he says.

He adds that it's open to anyone, and that no member of the Trump family will be receiving money.

Image source, Getty Images

JD Vance returns to the topic of Iran, as he's asked to explain his reasoning for why he believes that Iran is negotiating for a peace deal in good faith.

The vice president praises Iran as a "proud civilisation" with "amazing people", but also calls it a "fractured country".

He says this means it is sometimes "not totally clear" what the position of the negotiating team is, as there are lots of officials below the supreme leader who have an influence on negotiations.

It's not clear whether this confusion is down to bad faith or bad communication, he says, but stresses that the Iranians want to make a deal.

Vance says he believes Iran knows the "red line" is around nuclear weapons, but says he won't be certain until pen signs paper on a deal.

Vance jokes that he is replacing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, while she is on maternity leave.

He says that she that she can replace him as vice president when his wife Usha has their baby later this year.

Moving on to questions, Vance is asked about Trump endorsing Ken Paxton over John Cornyn in the Republican Texas primary.

Vance notes that he has known Cornyn for years, starting back when he was an Ohio senator, but that he has not always been there for Trump.

He adds that Trump wants people who will go to Washington and fight for those they represent, and that his endorsement of Cornyn's rival sends a signal to lawmakers that you have to serve the people who sent you to DC.

Image source, Reuters

The Iran war 'domino theory' is one that will be familiar to many Americanspublished at 18:50 BST 19 May

18:50 BST 19 May

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

JD Vance has briefly touched on Iran, explaining to reporters that he believes that Iran having a nuclear weapon would lead to similar aspirations from countries across the region.

That's not a theory that has been provided in much detail by the administration - but it's certainly one that many Americans willl be familiar with.

During the Cold War, a similar theory of falling dominoes was the US justification for increasing its military involvement in Vietnam.

Americans saw it again in the 1980s in Central America, as the US ramped up military aid to its allies in places like El Salvador.

The thinking, at the time, was that countries falling to communists would be followed by others and needed to be stopped.

Vance's Iran war argument is similar - and not without backing in Washington.

For years, Middle East experts have speculated that a successful Iranian nuclear weapons programme would lead to regional rivals - chiefly Saudi Arabia - seeking to ramp up their own domestic nuclear weapons programmes to establish military equilibrium.

Vance goes on to say the US has effectively downgraded Iran's military capabilities and President Donald Trump has advised his team to "aggressively negotiate" with the country.

He says that negotiations are in a good spot, but adds that it "takes two to tango" and the US is "locked and loaded" to restart its military campaign if necessary.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

The vice president moves on to an update on the Iran negotiations, saying it is a "simple proposition" having spoken to President Trump.

He reiterates the US's stance that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. He says it would lead to other nations "scrambling" to get their own nuclear weapons and that this would "make us all much less safe".

"Iran would really be the first domino in what would set off a nuclear arms race all over the world," he adds.

He says the US has made "a lot of progress" in negotiating with the Iranians.

Image source, Getty Images

Vance begins by saying he will be speaking at the Air Force Academy commencement ceremony next week.

He then goes on to talk about the work of the White House task force to eliminate fraud, which he says has begun to find and prosecute fraudulent activity in hospices and other sectors.

"The president of the United States has been very clear he wants us to focus on fraud," he says.