Vice-President JD Vance said on Tuesday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran was holding and that President Donald Trump wanted not just a “small deal” with Tehran, but “the grand bargain”.

“Right now, the ceasefire is holding,” Mr Vance said at an event in Athens in the state of Georgia.

Vance said talks between the U.S. and Iran in Pakistan last weekend made “a ton of progress.”

“But the reason why the deal is not yet done is because the president, he really wants a deal where Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapon,” he added.

Vance said Iran must not sponsor terrorism and that Trump wanted a deal under which “the people of Iran can thrive and prosper and join the world economy”.

Meanwhile, U.S. broadcaster CNN reported, citing people familiar with the talks, that Vance was also likely to lead the U.S. delegation in a possible second round of negotiations with Iran if another meeting takes place before the two-week ceasefire expires.

CNN said U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner could also take part in the talks.

The ceasefire is due to expire next week. According to unconfirmed reports, Thursday is being discussed as a possible date for further talks.

(dpa/NAN)