US Vice President J.D. Vance said in response to a journalist's question at the Kennedy Center, where he was watching the musical "Les Miserables" with President Donald Trump, that he did not know if Iran wanted to acquire nuclear weapons, Reuters reported.
The vice president also commented on the conflict between Trump and multibillionaire Elon Musk. Vance said he was disappointed in Musk but did not want a lasting feud with him.
Vance said he had spoken to both of them about Musk remaining positive about Trump, and added that the president's team was grateful for the entrepreneur's efforts to make government more efficient.
Musk said yesterday that he regretted some of his social media posts about Trump and added that he had gone too far - a statement that the US president described as "very nice" amid signs of reconciliation between the two.
Meanwhile, Trump said he would like to extend the July 8 deadline for completing trade talks with a number of countries before the higher tariffs take effect, but did not believe that would be necessary, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Answering questions from journalists before watching the musical “Les Misérables“ at the “Kennedy“ Center Trump said trade talks with nearly 15 countries were ongoing, including South Korea, Japan and the European Union. He added that the United States would send letters within a week or two outlining terms for trade deals with dozens of other countries that they could accept or reject. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said earlier in the day that U.S. trading partners could be exempted for longer from the highest punitive tariffs Trump has sought if negotiations are conducted in good faith.