Trump Says He'll Blame Vance if Iran Deal Fails
U.S. President Trump said Wednesday that if a deal to end the war with Iran is not reached, 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. The remark followed a reporter's question suggesting that by sending the vice president to sign the Iran deal in the coming days, Trump was using Vance as a scapegoat.
Trump made the comments to reporters at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, while a senior U.S. official read out the text of the so-called memorandum of understanding reached with Iran during a separate conference call, and two Republican senators harshly criticized the deal.
The agreement text calls for Israel to immediately stop military operations in Lebanon, and for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz for at least 60 days without charging any fees.
One of the 14 separate clauses in the memorandum includes a U.S.-Iran arrangement aimed at deciding how to handle the Islamic Republic's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
One official argued on the call that the United States has no urgent need to go into Iran to retrieve those materials, because last summer's U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities was highly successful and buried the materials deep underground.
“Because of the success of Operation Midnight Hammer, those nuclear materials were buried very, very deep,” the official said of the materials the government had said it wanted removed. Operation Midnight Hammer refers to the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.
Since launching the war on February 28, Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States needs to strike Iran again because the Islamic Republic poses a threat of soon developing nuclear weapons. But the senior official suggested the materials have been inaccessible since last year, undercutting Trump's argument.
In the video address announcing the war, Trump said curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions was the reason for launching the attack.
“They are 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 the U.S. homeland,” he said at the time.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana posted on X that the deal was “the worst foreign-policy blunder in decades.”
“Iran's nuclear ambitions have not been contained. They have tasted the threat of closing the Strait of Hormuz, and they will surely try it again,” Cassidy said. “Now, under this deal, Iran can build brand-new infrastructure. Before the war, the strait was open, Iran was being crushed by sanctions, and all 13 service members were alive. Now, 13 Americans are dead, families have paid billions more in fuel costs, sanctions will be lifted, and the bombing has stopped.”
North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis told reporters on Capitol Hill: “Since the first kinetic strike, $100 billion has been spent. We lost two F-18s and several other aircraft. Thirteen people died. Several of our partners in the Middle East were attacked. Three hundred sixty-five people were injured.”
“I need more than 14 clauses,” Tillis said.
Trump's remark that he would rather have Vance attend the signing ceremony came at the very end of the press conference, when he handed the last question to Fox News's Peter Doocy, who noted that his team was already in Europe.
Doocy asked, “Why not stay for the signing of this Iran peace deal?”
Trump replied, “I might.” But he hinted that he might not.
“This is a memorandum of understanding,” Trump said. “It's very important, but maybe it's not the kind of document I should be signing.”
Doocy then said, “There's an implication here that you send the vice president. If it works out, great, and sending him makes it look like you had a genius plan.”
“If it doesn't work out, then it's the vice president's fault?” Doocy asked.
Trump answered, “I like that idea.”
“Exactly. That way, if it works, 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 there. Yes, I like that idea. I think it's a good idea,” the president said.
Full text of the memorandum of understanding follows
Full text of the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding
A senior U.S. official read the agreement text to reporters on a background call on Wednesday —
The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, in good faith, have jointly reached the following agreement on a certain date:
1. By signing this memorandum of understanding, the United States, the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in this war announce the immediate and permanent end of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and from now on pledge not to wage any war or military action against each other, to refrain from mutual threats or the use of force, and to ensure Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty. The final agreement will confirm the permanent end of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, as well as the other provisions in this paragraph.
2. The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran pledge 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 pledge to negotiate and reach a final agreement within up to 60 days, extendable by mutual consent.
4. Upon signature of this memorandum, the United States will immediately begin lifting any naval blockade of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as any interference or obstacles, and will fully end the blockade within 30 days. During this period, vessel traffic will be proportional to the restored pre-war traffic of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States further pledges that within 30 days after the final agreement is reached, it will withdraw its forces from the area near the Islamic Republic of Iran.
5. After this memorandum is signed, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make every effort to arrange safe passage for commercial ships between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, charging no fees for the first 60 days only. Commercial shipping will begin immediately and, given the need to remove technical and military obstacles and clear mines, will return to normal within 30 days. The Islamic Republic of Iran will hold talks with the Sultanate of Oman and consult with other Gulf countries along the Strait of Hormuz to determine the future management of the Strait of Hormuz and maritime services in accordance with applicable international law and the sovereign rights of the coastal states.
6. The United States, together with regional partners, pledges to develop a clear, mutually agreed plan for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in an amount of at least $300 billion. The implementation mechanism for that plan will be finalized within 60 days as part of the final agreement. The United States will issue all licenses, waivers and permits required for the related financial transactions.
7. The United States pledges to terminate, on the timetable set out in the final agreement, 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 U.S. sanctions, including primary and secondary sanctions. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States acknowledge the extreme importance of ending the sanctions issue and state their intention to resolve it immediately in negotiations in order 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, through a mechanism to be jointly agreed, the disposition of the stockpile of enriched material; at a minimum, that mechanism will involve on-site dilution under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision, according to the timetable described in paragraph 7. The two sides also agree, on the basis of a satisfactory framework to be agreed in the final agreement, to discuss uranium enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the nuclear needs of the Islamic Republic of Iran. 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 nuclear issue and state their intention to resolve these matters immediately in negotiations in order to reach a mutual agreement.
9. Before the final agreement is reached, 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, while the United States will impose no new sanctions and will not deploy additional forces in the region.
10. From the moment this memorandum is signed until sanctions are lifted, the United States pledges that the Treasury Department will grant waivers for exports of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and derivatives, as well as all related services, including banking transactions, insurance and transport.
11. The United States pledges to make all frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran fully available. Once the memorandum is implemented, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran will jointly agree in negotiations on the procedure for releasing these funds. Such funds, whether left in the original account or transferred, shall be fully available for payments to any final beneficiary designated by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States pledges 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. After this memorandum is signed, and provided the measures in paragraphs 14, 5, 10 and 11 begin to be implemented and continue to be carried out, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran will begin final-agreement talks only on the remaining paragraphs.
14. The final agreement will be endorsed by a binding UN Security Council resolution.
