Vance calls Iran negotiations messy as Trump claims deal near Hormuz Strait
US vice-president describes Iranians as 'extremely difficult people' while Trump says agreement is imminent
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Vance calls Iran negotiations messy as Trump claims deal near Hormuz Strait
Photograph: Aftenposten (embedded from source)
What this story says
- US Vice President JD Vance said negotiations with Iran would be 'messy' and 'take some time', calling Iranians 'extremely difficult people' in a Fox News interview.
- President Donald Trump said an agreement to reopen the Hormuz Strait was 'right around the corner', possibly within days, as reported by Aftenposten.
- Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said communicating with the country’s leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was 'very difficult' due to his limited public appearances.
- No centre-rated outlet reported on the story, leaving a gap in coverage between left and right-leaning publications.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 4 of the 10 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
74/100
Craft
58/100
Hype
32/100
10 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 1 of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
US Vice President JD Vance said negotiations with Iran would be a prolonged and difficult process. In an interview with Fox News, Vance described the situation as 'messy' and said it would 'take some time' to reach a resolution. He called Iranians 'extremely difficult people' and acknowledged that progress appeared slow.
President Donald Trump said an agreement to reopen the Hormuz Strait was close to being finalised. Speaking to journalists, Trump said a deal could be announced 'tomorrow or the next day', as reported by Aftenposten. Axios, citing unnamed sources, said the agreement between the US, Iran and Oman required only the approval of Iran’s leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and its national security council.
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said communicating with Mojtaba Khamenei was 'very difficult' due to his limited public appearances. Khamenei has not appeared in public since his appointment, following an attack that injured him. Pezeshkian told state television that Khamenei’s presence provided strength to continue negotiations, despite the challenges.
What the reports agree on
All reports agree that Vance described negotiations with Iran as difficult and time-consuming. The digests from The Hindu Business Line, Tribune India, Unknown (Alquds), Crypto Briefing and CNN Brasil, along with Aftenposten’s full report, confirm Vance’s remarks about the complexity of the talks. They also agree that Trump said a deal on the Hormuz Strait was imminent, though none specify a timeline beyond 'days'.
What the coverage left out
No centre-rated outlet reported on the story. None of the right-rated digests mentioned Pezeshkian’s statement about the difficulty of communicating with Khamenei, though Aftenposten’s full report included it. The left-rated digest from Mediaite did not report Trump’s claim that a deal was imminent or the role of Oman in the negotiations.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 2 times, most recently on 6 Aug 2026, 06:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
1 rated outlet
- The left-rated digest from Mediaite led on Vance’s willingness to take blame for the prolonged conflict in Iran. It quoted Vance saying he was 'happy' to shoulder responsibility for the impasse, framing the statement as a response to criticism over slow progress. The digest did not mention Trump’s claim that a deal was near or Pezeshkian’s remarks about Khamenei’s limited public role.
Centre
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated centre has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Right
5 rated outlets
- The right-rated digests from The Hindu Business Line, Tribune India, Unknown (Alquds), Arutz Sheva and ussanews.com all led on Vance’s description of Iranians as 'extremely difficult people' or 'difficult to deal with'. Tribune India and Unknown (Alquds) added that Iran’s leadership was 'fractured' or 'divided'. Aftenposten’s full report quoted Vance directly and included Trump’s claim that a deal was 'right around the corner', as well as Pezeshkian’s remarks about Khamenei.
- Arutz Sheva’s digest focused on Vance’s characterisation of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as 'frank but pleasant', omitting any reference to Iran’s internal divisions or the Hormuz Strait negotiations. ussanews.com’s digest led on conservative criticism of Vance for 'undermining' Trump, framing his remarks as contradictory to the president’s messaging.
Read it at the source
10 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
1Centre
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Right
5- US VP Vance says negotiations with Iran "going to be messy", "take some time" (opens The Hindu Business Line in a new tab)
The Hindu Business Line — is The Hindu Business Line biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US VP Vance says negotiations with Iran going to be messy, take some time - The Tribune (opens Tribune India in a new tab)
Tribune India — is Tribune India biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Vance: Vil Ta Tid Å Avslutte Iran-Krigen (opens Aftenposten in a new tab)
Aftenposten — is Aftenposten biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'A nice and frank conversation': Vance rejects reports of clash with Netanyahu (opens Arutz Sheva in a new tab)
Arutz Sheva — is Arutz Sheva biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fox News panel accuses Vice President J.D. Vance of ‘undermining’ President Donald Trump and ‘contradicting him in public’ (opens ussanews.com in a new tab)
ussanews.com — is ussanews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
4- Vance: Vil Ta Tid Å Avslutte Iran-Krigen (opens Nettavisen in a new tab)
Nettavisen — is Nettavisen biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump's Deputy on Negotiations with the Iranians: "They Are Difficult to Deal with and Their Regime Is divided." (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- Iran's internal divisions complicate US negotiations: VP Vance (opens Crypto Briefing in a new tab)
Crypto Briefing — is Crypto Briefing biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Negotiations with Iran Will Take Time, Trump's Vice-President Says. (opens CNN Brasil in a new tab)
CNN Brasil — is CNN Brasil biased? Our profile of this outlet
How did this read?
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