Trump on Iran Deal: Will Blame Vance if It Fails
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that if the deal to end the war with Iran falls through, he would be happy to blame Vice President JD Vance.
“If the deal gets done, I get the credit. If it doesn't, I blame Vance,” Trump joked, after a reporter noted that sending the vice president in his place to sign the Iran deal in the coming days was setting Vance up as a scapegoat.
Trump's comments to reporters at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, came as a senior US administration official read the text of the so-called memorandum of understanding with Iran to reporters on a separate conference call, while two Republican senators blasted the agreement.
The text calls for an immediate halt to Israeli military operations in Lebanon, and for Iran to completely reopen the Strait of Hormuz within at least 60 days without charging tolls.
The 14-clause memorandum of understanding includes a US-Iran agreement on how to deal with Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
One of the officials argued on the call that there is no pressing need for the US to enter Iran to retrieve the material, because the American bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities last summer was so successful that it buried the material deep underground.
“Due to the success of Operation Midnight Hammer, the nuclear material is buried very, very deep,” the official said of the nuclear material the administration had said it would remove. Operation Midnight Hammer refers to the US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.
Since launching the war on Feb. 28, Trump has repeatedly argued that the US needed to attack Iran again because the Islamic Republic posed an imminent threat of developing a nuclear weapon. But the senior official's suggestion that the nuclear material has been inaccessible since last year appeared to undercut Trump's argument.
In his video address announcing the war, Trump said containing Iran's nuclear ambitions was the reason for the attack.
“They were seeking to rebuild their nuclear program and continue developing long-range missiles that could now threaten our dear friends and allies in Europe, our troops stationed overseas, and soon the US homeland,” he said at the time.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, posted on X that the deal is “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.”
“Iran's nuclear ambitions are not contained, they got a taste of threatening the Strait of Hormuz, they will do it again,” Cassidy said. “Now, under this deal, Iran can build new infrastructure. Before the war, the strait was open, Iran was crushed by sanctions, 13 service members were alive. Now, 13 Americans are dead, families have spent billions more on gas, sanctions will be lifted, the bombing has stopped.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, told reporters on Capitol Hill: “Since the first kinetic strike, we've spent $100 billion. We've lost two F-18s and several other aircraft. 13 dead. Several of our partners in the Middle East have been attacked. 365 wounded.”
“I need more than 14 clauses,” Tillis said.
Trump's comment that he would rather have Vance attend the signing ceremony came at the tail end of a press conference, when he gave the last question to Fox News' Peter Doocy, who noted he was already in Europe.
Doocy asked: “Why not stay to sign this Iran peace deal?”
Trump replied: “I might.” But Trump suggested he might not.
“It's a memorandum of understanding,” Trump said. “It's very important, but it might not be the kind of document for me to sign.”
Doocy continued: “There's a sense that you're sending the vice president, and if the deal gets done, it looks great that you sent him, it looks like a genius move.”
“If it doesn't get done, it's the VP's fault?” Doocy asked.
Trump replied: “I like that idea.”
“That's right, so if it works, I get the credit. If it doesn't work, I blame JD,” Trump said.
“You better be careful, JD. He'll turn the plane around and get the hell out of here. Yeah, I like that idea. I think that's a good idea,” the president said.
Full Text of the Memorandum of Understanding
Full Text of the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran (Islamabad)
A senior US administration official read the text of the agreement to reporters on a background call Wednesday:
The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, acting in good faith, have on this date agreed as follows:
1. The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran and its allies in this war, by signing this memorandum of understanding, declare an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and commit from now on not to wage any war or military action against each other, avoid threatening or using force against each other, and ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. A final agreement will confirm the permanent end of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and the other provisions of this paragraph.
2. The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran commit to respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from interfering in each other's internal affairs.
3. The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran commit to negotiate and reach a final agreement within a maximum of 60 days, extendable by mutual agreement.
4. Upon signing this memorandum of understanding, the United States will immediately begin to lift the naval blockade and any interference or obstacles against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will completely end the naval blockade within 30 days. During this period, the volume of ship passages will be proportional to the restored pre-war passage volume of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States further commits to withdraw its forces from the vicinity of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final agreement is reached.
5. Upon signing this memorandum of understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make its best efforts to arrange for the safe passage of commercial vessels between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, without charging any fees for the first 60 days only. Commercial vessel passage will begin immediately, and will return to normal within 30 days, taking into account Iran's need to remove technical and military obstacles and clear mines. The Islamic Republic of Iran will engage in dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman and consult with other Persian Gulf states along the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with applicable international law and the sovereign rights of the strait's coastal states, to determine the future management and maritime services of the Strait of Hormuz.
6. The United States commits, together with regional partners, to develop a clear, mutually agreed plan for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with an amount of at least $300 billion. The implementation mechanism for this plan will be finalized within 60 days as part of the final agreement. All necessary licenses, waivers and permits for related financial transactions will be issued by the United States.
7. The United States commits to terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including UN Security Council resolutions, International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral US sanctions (including primary and secondary sanctions), according to a timetable agreed in the final agreement. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States acknowledge the extreme importance of the aforementioned sanctions termination issue and express their intention to address these issues immediately in negotiations to reach mutual agreement.
8. The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms that it will not acquire or develop nuclear weapons. The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran have agreed to resolve the disposal of enriched material inventory through a mechanism to be jointly agreed between the two parties, which shall follow the timetable described in paragraph 7, with the minimal method being on-site dilution under IAEA supervision. The two parties also agree to discuss uranium enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the nuclear needs of the Islamic Republic of Iran on a satisfactory framework to be agreed in the final agreement. The final agreement will confirm the provisions of this paragraph. The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran acknowledge the extreme importance of the aforementioned nuclear issues and express their intention to address these issues immediately in negotiations to reach mutual agreement.
9. Pending the final agreement, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran agree to maintain the status quo. The Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain the current status of its nuclear program, and the United States will not impose any new sanctions or deploy additional troops in the region.
10. The United States commits that from the time of signing this memorandum of understanding until the lifting of sanctions, the US Treasury Department will issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and their derivatives, as well as all related services (including banking transactions, insurance, transportation, etc.).
11. The United States commits to make fully available the funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran that are frozen or restricted. Following implementation of the memorandum of understanding, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran will mutually agree in negotiations on procedures for the release of these funds. Such funds, whether retained in original accounts or transferred, shall be fully available for payment to any ultimate beneficiary designated by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States commits to issue all necessary licenses and authorizations.
12. The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran agree to establish an implementation mechanism to monitor the successful implementation of this memorandum of understanding and future compliance with the final agreement.
13. After signing this memorandum of understanding, and provided the measures in paragraphs 14, 5, 10, and 11 have been initiated and are being implemented, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran will begin negotiations on the final agreement only with respect to the other paragraphs.
14. The final agreement will be endorsed by a binding UN Security Council resolution.
