Trump says Iran deal failure will be blamed on Vance
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would be happy to blame Vice President JD Vance if a deal to end the war with Iran fails to materialize.
"If the deal gets done, I get the credit. If it doesn't, I'll blame Vance," Trump joked after a reporter suggested he was setting up Vance as a scapegoat by sending the vice president to sign an Iran agreement in his place in the coming days.
Trump's comments to reporters at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, came as a senior US official separately read the text of a so-called memorandum of understanding with Iran to reporters on a 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 fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz without tolls for at least 60 days.
In the 14-clause memorandum of understanding, there was a US-Iran agreement on how to handle the Islamic Republic's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
One of the officials argued on the call that there was no pressing need for the US to enter Iran to retrieve the material because the US bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities last summer was so successful that the material was buried deep underground.
"Thanks to the success of Operation Midnight Hammer, the nuclear material is buried very, very deep," the official said of the material the administration has said it wants removed. Operation Midnight Hammer refers to the US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in June 2025.
Trump has repeatedly argued since launching the war on Feb 28 that the US needed to strike Iran again because the Islamic Republic posed an imminent threat of developing a nuclear weapon. But the senior official's suggestion that the material has been inaccessible since last year appeared to undercut Trump's argument.
In his televised address announcing the war, Trump said curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions was the reason for the attack.
"They were trying to rebuild their nuclear program and continue developing long-range missiles that now threaten our dear friends and allies in Europe, our troops stationed overseas, and could soon reach the American homeland," he said at the time.
Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, posted on X that the deal was "the worst foreign policy mistake in decades."
"Iran's nuclear ambitions are not contained, and they have tasted the benefits of threatening the Strait of Hormuz, and 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, and 13 service members were alive. Now, 13 Americans are dead, families have spent billions more on gas, sanctions will be lifted, and the bombing has stopped."
Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, told reporters on Capitol Hill: "Since the first kinetic strike, $100 billion has been spent. We lost two F-18s and several other aircraft. 13 dead. Several of our partners in the Middle East were attacked. 365 wounded."
"I need more than 14 clauses," Tillis said.
Trump's comment about preferring to have Vance attend the signing ceremony came at the very end of the press conference, when he gave the last question to Fox News's 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 hinted he might not.
"It's a memorandum of understanding," Trump said. "It's very important, but it might not be the kind of document I should sign."
Doocy continued: "There's this idea that you send the VP, and if the deal goes well, it looks like a genius move on your part."
"If it doesn't, it's the VP's fault?" Doocy asked.
Trump replied: "I like that idea."
"Yeah, that way, if it works out, I get the credit. If it doesn't, I blame JD," Trump said.
"You better watch out, JD. He'll turn the plane around and get the hell out of here. Yes, I like that idea. I think it's a good idea," the president said.
Full Text of the Memorandum of Understanding
Full Text of Memorandum of Understanding Between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran (Islamabad)
A senior US official read the agreement text to reporters on a background conference call Wednesday —
The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, in good faith, have reached the following agreement on a certain date:
1. The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, along with 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 engage in any war or military action against each other, avoid mutual threats or use of force, and ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final agreement will confirm the permanent end of the war on all fronts (including Lebanon), as well as 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 avoid interference 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 maritime blockade against the Islamic Republic of Iran and any interference or obstacles, and fully end the maritime blockade within 30 days. During this period, vessel transit volume will be proportional to the restored pre-war transit 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 in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, with no fees charged for the first 60 days only. Commercial vessel transit will begin immediately, taking into account the need for the Islamic Republic of Iran to remove technical and military obstacles and clear mines, and will return to normal within 30 days. 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 coastal states of the Strait, 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 of this plan will be finalized within 60 days as part of the final agreement. All necessary licenses, exemptions, 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 in accordance with the timetable agreed in the final agreement, including UN Security Council resolutions, International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral US sanctions (including primary and secondary sanctions). The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States recognize the extreme importance of the above-mentioned sanction termination issue and express their intention to address these issues immediately in negotiations to reach a 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 based on a mechanism to be jointly agreed by both parties, in accordance with the timetable mentioned in paragraph 7, with the minimum method being on-site dilution under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Both parties also agree to discuss uranium enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the nuclear needs of the Islamic Republic of Iran based on a satisfactory framework agreed in the final agreement. The final agreement will confirm the provisions of this paragraph. The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran recognize the extreme importance of the above nuclear issues and express their intention to address them immediately in negotiations to reach a 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 quo of its nuclear program, and the United States will not impose any new sanctions or deploy additional forces in the region.
10. The United States commits, from the time of signing this Memorandum of Understanding until the lifting of sanctions, the US Department of the Treasury will issue exemptions 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 frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran. After the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran will jointly 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 final beneficiary designated by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States commits to issue all necessary licenses and authorizations for this purpose.
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. Upon signing this Memorandum of Understanding and commencing and sustaining the implementation of the measures in paragraphs 4, 5, 10, and 11, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran will only begin negotiations on the final agreement regarding the other paragraphs.
14. The final agreement will be ratified by a binding UN Security Council resolution.
