VP Vance Provides Key Update On Iran Deal

Vice President JD Vance offered a major update Thursday on President Donald Trump’s newly signed agreement with Iran, defending the framework as a peace-through-strength deal that gives the United States and its regional allies the upper hand.

Speaking during a White House press briefing after Trump signed the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, Vance fielded several questions from reporters about whether Tehran’s leadership understands the leverage Washington now holds.

A reporter began by asking Vance, “Do you think that the current Iranian leadership recognizes the leverage that the U.S. holds over itself economically and militarily enough to actually go forth with fundamentally changing their behavior over the long-term and going about things differently?”

“So, I certainly think they recognize the leverage that the United States has over them. We’ve seen that in a number of our conversations,” Vance said.

“We’ve seen that just in their behavior over the last couple of days. They certainly recognize that the United States has great leverage. Will that ultimately lead to a change in behavior? I don’t know,” Vance said.

The vice president made clear that the agreement is not built on blind trust in the Iranian regime. Instead, he framed it as a test: if Iran changes its behavior, it may receive benefits. If not, the United States loses nothing.

“You know, I’ve seen skeptics of the deal. People say the Iranians will never change their behavior. Well, maybe that’s true, and if so, they don’t get any of the benefits of the bargain. But isn’t it worth trying? Isn’t it worth seeing whether this incredibly weakened position that the president of the United States has put the Iranians under, whether that motivates them to change their behavior, not just vis-a-vis the West, but vis-a-vis the Middle East?” Vance asked.

The vice president then contrasted Trump’s approach with the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, arguing that the current administration’s agreement is being received far differently by America’s Gulf allies.

“And one of the interesting things about this is, you know, the technical details of this we can, of course, get into. There are going to be any number of opinions about the negotiation, about where it’s ultimately going to go,” Vance said.

“But I tend to think that you should trust the people who know the Iranians the best and who have the most to lose. What are the Gulf Arab states saying about this deal?” the VP remarked.

“What are they saying about this deal compared to the JCPOA in 2015? This is the Obama nuclear deal,” Vance charged.

“Well, back then, they hated that deal. They felt like it empowered the Iranians to be bad actors across the region. And, of course, that’s exactly what happened. They were right about that. What are they saying about the president’s peace deal?” the VP continued.

“They’re saying this is an amazingly transformative thing for the region, because either way, we and the broader region win. Iran is weakened, their nuclear program destroyed, their economy in desperate straits,” Vance said.

Vance concluded, “And if they change their behavior, big things are going to happen for Iran and for the world. If they don’t, no skin off our backs. Either way, we win. And that’s the way the president has set up this deal and this negotiation.

The comments come as Vance and other administration officials continue pushing back against reports claiming the agreement includes a massive reconstruction package worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

“We’ll be releasing the text this week,” Vance said.

“What everybody will see is that Iran doesn’t get a dime of money unless they perform their obligations.”

According to administration officials, the Trump administration has not released frozen Iranian assets, lifted sanctions, or authorized direct payments to Tehran.

Instead, any future economic relief would be tied to strict compliance requirements centered on Iran’s nuclear program.

Vance explained that Iran would have to permanently abandon any effort to obtain nuclear weapons, eliminate enriched nuclear stockpiles, and submit to extensive verification before meaningful sanctions relief could take place.

Officials have also said Gulf nations could potentially invest in Iranian reconstruction projects in the future, but only if Tehran fully complies with the agreement.

That distinction is central to the administration’s message. This is not a return to the old Washington model of rewarding hostile regimes upfront in exchange for vague promises. The Trump framework is built around leverage, enforcement, and consequences.

One of the most significant parts of the agreement involves the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.

Administration officials say they expect the strait to fully reopen after Friday’s signing ceremony, a development that could provide a major boost to global energy stability and further strengthen Trump’s argument that tough diplomacy can produce results without handing America’s adversaries a blank check.

For conservatives, the agreement reflects a sharp break from the Obama-era foreign policy establishment. Instead of empowering Iran with sanctions relief before behavior changes, Trump’s deal keeps pressure on the regime and forces Tehran to prove compliance before receiving benefits.

Vance’s message was straightforward: Iran is weakened, America holds the leverage, Gulf allies support the framework, and the United States is positioned to win whether Tehran cooperates or not.

That, the administration argues, is what real diplomacy looks like when it is backed by American strength.