“What I’d say here is: It’s clear that large segments of the Israeli political system and population are very sensitive about this deal. But I also think they’re picking up on some misinformation about the deal and running with it and sort of panicking about it,” the vice president began, saying that he thought the deal was good for the entire region and world.
“And the president has shown this. Where he sees misalignment between the goals of the political system in Israel and the goals of the American people, he’s willing to say that we’re going to pursue America’s interests where there are divergences. And so there are certainly going to be disagreements from time to time. I think that’s normal,” the vice president continued.
US Vice President JD Vance speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 18, 2026. (Photo by Ken Cedeno / AFP via Getty Images)
“I will say, maybe I’ve missed this, but I don’t think Bibi himself has actually criticized the deal. Because I think he’s maybe a little bit more familiar with the details of what’s in it. But you’ve seen people in their system, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who’ve attacked the deal.
And I guess my response to them would be: What is your exact proposal? You’re a country of nine million people. You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have,” Vance added. The VP then explained that Americans have protected Israeli lives through their missile program the last few months.
“We have destroyed their nuclear program. We have got the Iranians to a point where they’re offering things — again, whether they’ll actually act on them, we’ll see — that would have been the stuff of dreams even six months ago.
So let us play this negotiation out. Let us see if the Iranian actions actually meet the Iranian words, and give a little bit of credit to the United States of America, which I think has been an incredible partner for the Israeli government for a long time,” Vance concluded.
The MOU was signed electronically by both sides on Sunday. The text of the MOU was released for the first time via a background call with senior administration officials and reporters. The Daily Caller was on the call. (RELATED: Trump Admin Officials Explain How Tentative Iran Deal Would Actually Work)
Vice President J.D. Vance speaks during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on June 18, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
While reading the deal to reporters, the senior officials made their case for why they think the deal will work.
On one of the more controversial paragraphs, which states: “The United States of America undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least USD 300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The mechanism for the implementation of this plan will be finalized as part of a final deal within 60 days; all required licenses, waivers, and permissions needed for the relevant financial transactions will be granted by the United States of America,” an official explained that the MOU never requires America to pay a cent to Iran of its reconstruction fund.
If Iran behaves, the administration official explained, there are opportunities for economic investment. For example, if the Emiratis decide to build a power plant in Iran, the United States will permit the investment.
The MOU also states that Iran will not develop or obtain a nuclear weapon. The two countries are set to discuss what this will look like, including the topic of enrichment, and the following details will be plugged into the MOU. The MOU also states that the two countries agreed to the “disposition of stockpile enriched material pursuant to a mechanism that will be mutually agreed upon” in accordance with the schedule previously mentioned. (RELATED: Here’s What Senators Are Saying About Trump’s Iran Deal)
Vance also responded to Israeli criticism of the deal during a White House press briefing on Thursday.
“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, and he happens to be the head of state of the world’s superpower,” the VP 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.”