Trump Says He'll Blame Vice President Vance if Iran Deal Fails

U.S. President Donald 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 blame Vance," Trump joked. Earlier, a reporter suggested that by sending the vice president to sign the Iran deal in the coming days instead of going himself, Trump was making Vance the scapegoat.

Trump made the remarks to reporters at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, as a senior U.S. official separately read the text of the so-called memorandum of understanding with Iran during a conference call, while two Republican senators blasted the deal.

The text calls for Israel to immediately halt military operations in Lebanon, and for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz for at least 60 days without charging transit fees.

One of the 14 separate clauses in the memorandum is a U.S.-Iran agreement aimed at addressing what to do with the Islamic Republic's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

One official argued on the call that the U.S. does not urgently need to go into Iran to retrieve the material, because last summer's U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities was highly successful and buried the material deep underground.

"Because Operation Midnight Hammer was so successful, these nuclear materials were buried very, very deep," the official said of the material the administration says it wants removed. Operation Midnight Hammer refers to the U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.

Since launching this war on Feb. 28, Trump has repeatedly argued that the U.S. needs to attack Iran again because the Islamic Republic poses an imminent nuclear weapons threat. But the senior official suggested the nuclear material has been inaccessible since last year, seemingly undercutting Trump's argument.

In his video address announcing the war, Trump said curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions was the reason for 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, very soon, the American homeland," he said at the time.

Republican Sen. 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 constrained, they have tasted the advantage of threatening the Strait of Hormuz, and they will do it again," Cassidy said. "Now, under this deal, Iran can build brand-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."

North Carolina Republican Sen. 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 are dead. Several of our partners in the Middle East were attacked. 365 people were injured."

"I need more than 14 clauses," Tillis said.

Trump's comment that he would rather have Vance attend the signing ceremony came in the final moments of the press conference. He had given the last question to Fox News's Peter Doocy, who noted that Trump was already in Europe.

Doocy asked: "Why not stay for the signing of this Iran peace deal?"

Trump replied, "I might." But he suggested he might not.

"This is a memorandum of understanding," Trump said. "It's very important, but it's probably not the kind of document I should be the one signing."

Doocy then said: "There's this other angle: you send the vice president, and if the deal works out and things go well, it makes you look like you had a brilliant plan."

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

Trump replied: "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 here. Yeah, I like that idea. I think that's a good idea," the president said.

Full Text of the Memorandum of Understanding

Full text of the U.S.-Iran Islamic Republic Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding

A senior U.S. official read the text of the agreement to reporters on Wednesday during a background call —

The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, acting in good faith, hereby agree as follows on such and such date:

1. The United States, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and their allies in this war, by signing this memorandum, declare the immediate and permanent end of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and from now on undertake not to wage any war or military action against each other, to avoid threats or the use of force against one another, 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, and the other provisions of this paragraph.

2. The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran commit to respecting each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refraining from interfering in each other's internal affairs.

3. The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran commit to negotiating and reaching a final agreement within no more than 60 days, extendable by mutual consent.

4. Upon signature of this memorandum, the United States will immediately begin lifting any naval blockade and any interference or obstacles affecting the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will fully end the naval blockade within 30 days. During this period, vessel traffic will be proportional to the restored prewar traffic level of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States further commits to withdrawing its forces from areas near the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final agreement is reached.

5. Upon signing this memorandum, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make every effort to ensure the safe passage of commercial ships between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, with no fees charged for the first 60 days. Commercial transit will begin immediately and, given the need to clear technical and military obstacles and mines, will return to normal within 30 days. The Islamic Republic of Iran will hold talks with the Sultanate of Oman and consult other Persian Gulf countries along the Strait of Hormuz to determine the future management and maritime services of the Strait, in accordance with applicable international law and the sovereign rights of littoral states.

6. The United States commits, together with regional partners, to formulate 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 this plan will be finalized within 60 days as part of the final agreement. All required licenses, waivers, and permits for related financial transactions will be issued by the United States.

7. The United States commits, according to the timetable set out in the final agreement, to terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including UN Security Council resolutions, International Atomic Energy Agency Board resolutions, and all U.S. unilateral sanctions, including primary and secondary sanctions. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States recognize the extreme importance of the sanctions issue above and state their intention to resolve it immediately in negotiations in order to reach 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 stockpiled enriched material through a mechanism to be jointly agreed upon, with the minimum method being on-site dilution under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision, in accordance with the timetable set out in paragraph 7. The two sides also agree to discuss uranium enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear needs, on the basis of 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 recognize the extreme importance of the nuclear issue above and state their intention to resolve it immediately in negotiations in order to reach 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, and the United States will impose no new sanctions and deploy no additional forces in the region.

10. The United States commits, from the time this memorandum is signed until sanctions are lifted, to grant waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and derivatives, as well as all related services, including banking transactions, insurance, transportation and more.

11. The United States commits to making all frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran fully available. After the memorandum takes effect, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran will jointly agree in negotiations on procedures for releasing these funds. Such funds, whether left in the original account or transferred, shall be fully available for payments to any ultimate beneficiary designated by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States commits to issuing 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 oversee the successful implementation of this memorandum and future compliance with the final agreement.

13. Upon signing this memorandum, and provided that the measures in paragraphs 14, 5, 10 and 11 are implemented and continue to be carried out, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran will begin negotiations toward a final agreement only on the remaining paragraphs.

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