Vance: US 'Not Giving Iran a Cent' in Trump Deal
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- VP JD Vance defended Trump's interim Iran deal, insisting the U.S. is not giving Iran 'a cent' and that all economic benefits under the 14-point memorandum of understanding are contingent on full compliance.
- The MOU includes sanctions relief, access to frozen funds, and a proposed $300 billion reconstruction plan, none of which Vance said would be funded by U.S. taxpayers.
- Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said he had a 'different opinion' but approved the deal after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accepted responsibility for safeguarding Iran's interests and the 'resistance front.'
- Vance argued U.S. sanctions were 'fundamentally ineffective' already, claimed lifting them gives America more visibility into Iran's financial flows, and said Iran's nuclear program has been 'completely destroyed.'
- The deal reopens the Strait of Hormuz for at least 60 days beginning Thursday (extendable), ending military operations for now and opening a negotiating window for a final agreement.
- Vance issued a blunt rebuke to Israeli critics, declaring Trump the 'only powerful ally' Israel has left and noting that two-thirds of defensive weapons protecting Israel over the past three months were American-made.
- Bipartisan pushback emerged: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called funding Iran 'an exceptionally bad idea,' Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said the MOU 'negotiates away the victories of Operation Epic Fury,' and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) predicted it would become 'one of the worst follies' of Trump's term.
Why it matters: The $300 billion reconstruction fund and unfrozen Iranian assets are the deal's most inflammatory provisions, and both Republican hawks (Cruz, Wicker, Haley) and a leading Democrat (Warner) publicly warned the MOU could become Trump's 'worst international folly.' Vance's claim that the administration can lift some sanctions without congressional approval narrows Congress's leverage to alter terms during the 60-day Strait of Hormuz negotiating window, making the interim deal effectively locked in through August.
Ask SkimNews
