Vice President JD Vance on Thursday defended the memorandum of understanding signed by President Donald Trump and Iran, arguing the agreement benefits the United States whether Tehran ultimately complies with its terms or not. "Their nuclear program has been completely destroyed," Trump said during a White House briefing. "Their capacity for enrichment facilities ... those facilities are still destroyed. Their conventional military is still destroyed. Their capacity to threaten their neighbors is largely gone." Trump signed the deal in France on Wednesday, and Vance said it was already producing results, pointing to lower oil prices and increased shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. RELATED STORY | Trump and Iran sign ceasefire agreement, including $300B for Iran's reconstruction Under the agreement, the United States lifted its blockade on Iranian ports, allowing Iran to resume oil exports. Iran could eventually receive up to $300 billion in reconstruction and economic development funding, though Vance said those benefits would be contingent on Tehran following through on commitments related to its nuclear program and broader regional behavior. "You really have a win-win situation for the United States of America," he said. "If the Iranians don't change their behavior, their military and their nuclear program is still destroyed. If they do change their behavior, then they are going to have a transformative relationship with the Middle East." The vice president also contrasted the agreement with the 2015 Obama-era nuclear deal, which critics have said was a stronger deal. Vance believes the new framework takes a tougher approach. "The Obama nuclear deal allowed enrichment. Ours will not," Vance said. Preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon was one of the primary reasons the United States joined Israel in military operations against Iran on Feb. 28. A ceasefire remains in place and has been extended for 60 days under the new agreement.
Vice President JD Vance on Thursday defended the memorandum of understanding signed by President Donald Trump and Iran, arguing the agreement benefits the United States whether Tehran ultimately complies with its terms or not. "Their nuclear program has been completely destroyed,…
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International mediators have proposed a 10-day ceasefire between the United States and Iran, according to a senior Iranian official cited in reports. The measure is described as intended to reduce hostilities and allow renewed talks on a prior interim agreement.
Both sides are assessing next steps in the current regional security situation.
Reports indicate that a US-Iran ceasefire has broken down amid renewed fighting, with the potential impact of mediation efforts by Pakistan, Qatar, and Oman remaining unclear. Earlier diplomatic steps included a June memorandum of understanding between the parties for further negotiations and talks hosted in Geneva in February.
The summary also references Europe’s historical role in diplomacy, including the 1814-15 Congress of Vienna.
Donald Trump stated in a Fox News interview that his representatives had spoken with Iranian officials an hour earlier and that those officials wanted to make a deal to end the conflict, though he noted they had broken prior agreements and expressed uncertainty about whether one would be reached.
He added that people do not want to die and that Iran would need to proceed carefully to avoid further losses. The remarks come amid an ongoing US-Iran conflict that has involved casualties and shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, with some social media users criticizing the repetition of similar statements.
Why the Iran-US ceasefire is falling apart Iran and the US have resumed fighting because they don’t see each other as ‘reliable negotiating partners’, says analyst Ali Vaez. Neither Iran nor the United States seems able to deliver a “knockout blow at an acceptable price” to the other side, and both know “they have no choice other than engaging in diplomacy”, but they’re not ready to make uncomfortable concessions, argues Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at International Crisis Group.
Vaez tells host Steve Clemons that Tehran and Washington are trying to “enforce their own interpretation” of the ceasefire agreement they signed last month. President Trump has become “frustrated” with diplomacy because he’s not seeing “the kind of quick results that he likes to see”, Vaez says.