Trump Says He Will Blame Vance If Iran Deal Fails

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that if the agreement ending the war with Iran fails, he would be happy to blame Vice President JD Vance.

"If the deal gets done, I get the credit. If it doesn't, I'll blame Vance," Trump joked, after a reporter suggested that sending the vice president to sign the Iran deal in his place was setting Vance up as a scapegoat.

Trump spoke to reporters at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, as a senior US official separately read the text of the so-called Memorandum of Understanding with Iran to reporters in a conference call, and two Republican senators sharply criticized the deal.

The agreement text calls for an immediate halt to Israeli military operations in Lebanon and for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within at least 60 days without charging tolls.

The 14-point MOU includes a US-Iran agreement on how to deal with the Islamic Republic's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

One of the officials argued on the call that there is no urgent need for the US to enter Iran to retrieve these materials, because last summer's US bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities was so successful that it buried them deep underground.

"Due to the success of Operation Midnight Hammer, these nuclear materials are buried very, very deep," the official said of the materials the administration had said it wanted to remove. Operation Midnight Hammer refers to the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.

Since launching the war on February 28, Trump has repeatedly argued that the US needed to strike Iran again because the Islamic Republic posed an imminent nuclear weapon threat. But the senior official's suggestion that the nuclear materials have 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 soon could reach the US homeland," he said at the time.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana posted on X that the agreement is "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 try 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, and bombing has stopped."

Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina told reporters on Capitol Hill: "Since the first kinetic strike, we have spent $100 billion. We have 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 about preferring to let Vance attend the signing ceremony came at the very end of the 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 he signaled he probably would not.

"It's a memorandum of understanding," Trump said. "It's very important, but probably not the kind of document I should sign."

Doocy followed up: "There is this idea that you send the vice president, and if the deal works out well, it shows you had the genius to send him."

"If it doesn't, it's the vice president's fault?" Doocy asked.

Trump responded: "I like that idea."

"Exactly, so if it works, credit to me. If not, I blame JD," Trump said.

"You better be careful, JD. He'll have the plane turn 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 the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran

A senior US official read the agreement text to reporters in a background call Wednesday:

The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, acting in good faith, have mutually agreed on the following terms as of a certain date:

1. The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, including 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 from now on commit not to wage 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, 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 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 fully end the naval blockade within 30 days. During this period, vessel passage 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 between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, with no tolls for the first 60 days only. Commercial vessel passage will begin immediately, taking into account the need for the Islamic Republic of Iran to clear technical and military obstacles and 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 bordering the Strait of Hormuz to determine future management and maritime services of the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with applicable international law and the sovereign rights of the strait's coastal states.

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, amounting to 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, including UN Security Council resolutions, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral US sanctions (including primary and secondary sanctions), according to the timeline agreed in the final agreement. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States acknowledge the extreme importance of the above termination of sanctions and express their intention to resolve these issues immediately in negotiations to reach mutual agreement.

8. The Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates that it will not acquire or develop nuclear weapons. The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran have agreed to resolve the disposition of enriched material stockpiles based on a mechanism to be mutually agreed, following the timeline in paragraph 7, with the minimum method being on-site dilution under IAEA supervision. Both sides also agree to discuss uranium enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to Iran's nuclear needs 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 above nuclear issues and express their intention to resolve them 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 forces 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 will issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products, and their derivatives, and 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 this Memorandum of Understanding, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran will jointly agree in negotiations on procedures for the release of such 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.

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 the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding, and subject to the implementation and continued execution of the measures in paragraphs 14, 5, 10, and 11, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran will begin negotiations on the final agreement regarding the other paragraphs only.

14. The final agreement will be endorsed by a binding UN Security Council resolution.