US Vice President JD Vance sharply criticized Netanyahu’s government during a press briefing warning Israel it has no powerful ally other than Trump. He also defended the Iran MOU and told critics of the Iran deal to trust the president who “got us this far.”
US Vice President JD Vance warned the Israeli government, telling it directly that attacking its only remaining powerful ally is a strategic mistake, and that two-thirds of the weapons protecting Israel over the past 3 months were built and paid for by American hands and American taxpayers.
“The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump,” Vance said, “and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the President of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in.”
“The Only Powerful Ally Left in the Entire World”
The vice president reminded that the US-Israel relationship in stark terms of dependency.
“Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,” he said.
“If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.”
On reports that Netanyahu is “fuming” over US-Iran diplomacy, he said “I saw the Axios report that says Netanyahu is fuming. That’s not reflective of the conversations that I’ve had with him. Maybe he is saying something to somebody else that he is not saying to me”.
To critics of the deal more broadly, Vance told: “Have a little faith in the president’s ability, given that he’s got us this far, to take us the final step.”
How the MOU Came Together
Vance said Iran asked for the text of MOU not to be released until Friday, a request the US accommodated despite wanting immediate publication.
“I didn’t really understand that – I wanted to get the text out immediately,” Vance said.
He said foreign leaders may have been pressuring Iran during the Monday-Tuesday window while Trump was at the G7.
Ultimately, Iran’s president and Trump both signed the document, and the text was released immediately upon signing.
Vance also said “As they dial up their good behavior, we can dial up the economic relief; if they dial down their good behavior, we can turn it off”.
Iran’s Nuclear Commitments and Missile Capability
Vance said Iran has made concrete nuclear commitments under the MOU, including the destruction of its highly enriched uranium stockpile.
On missiles, he acknowledged the program was not eliminated entirely.
“Their ability to launch missiles has been substantially degraded. Is it zero? No. But it’s substantially degraded. We haven’t abandoned that mission. We accomplished it,” he said.
On what stops Iran from rebuilding its nuclear program down the road, Vance pointed to economics.
“First of all, they would have to get a lot of money in order to rebuild their nuclear program,” he said, noting that sanctions would snap back if Iran reversed course.
The $300 Billion Fund and Frozen Assets
When asked who is funding a reported $300 billion fund for Iran, Vance pointed to regional interest rather than US commitment.
“There is a great desire from the Arab world, and from outside the Arab world, to actually get involved in Iran if they behave properly,” he said.
On frozen Iranian assets, Vance was candid about his own uncertainty.
“I’ve heard numbers north of 100 billion dollars. I’ve actually heard numbers north of 200 billion dollars. Most of it is not in United States accounts; most of it’s either in the Gulf, or in Europe, or somewhere else. But I don’t know the exact amount of money – it’s a lot,” he said.
He also pushed back on reports that Qatar had released billions in Iranian assets.
“That’s just not true. It would be impossible for the Qataris to do that without our buy-in,” Vance said.
Vance also addressed the lifting of the Strait of Hormuz blockade, saying: “All we’ve done is lift the blockade in the Strait – that would basically return it to where it was before the conflict.”
He added that US troop levels would return to pre-conflict levels, saying both Washington and Tehran have no interest in maintaining extra aircraft carrier groups in the region.
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