U.S. Vice President urges Iran to abandon 'crazy' stance as pragmatists signal openness to talks

Vice President J.D. Vance recently told Iran to stop ‘acting like crazy people,’ insisting the United States never targets civilians, a statement contradicted by reports of U.S. strikes on a wedding party in Sirik County and a girls’ elementary school in Minab. Political scientists Vali Nasr and Narges Bajoghli argue that Iran is now guided by a pragmatic, strategically patient nationalist cohort that assesses its strengths and vulnerabilities rationally.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, via the IRGC-linked Tasnim agency, criticized the ‘war or negotiation’ dichotomy and lauded President Masoud Pezeshkian, signaling a shift away from hard-line dominance. Leaders like Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf represent a development-focused faction, while the broken Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has pushed Tehran to leverage control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Regional powers—including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Qatar, Oman and the UAE—are promoting a multilateral framework such as the Mecca Pact, and the forthcoming UN General Assembly in New York offers Vance a chance to engage these stakeholders. Recognizing Iran’s rationality could steer U.S. policy toward integration rather than isolation.