JD Vance defends the Iran deal and challenges Israel’s critics to name the plan
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Vice President JD Vance spoke candidly with Ross Douthat of The New York Times this week about how pro-Israel groups are critical of dealing with Iran and the US, saying at one point Israel couldn’t “kill” its way out of trouble.
“You’ve seen people on their show – [Itamar] Ben-Gvir and [Bezalel] Smotrich – who attacked the agreement. And I guess my answer to them would be: What exactly is your proposal? You’re a country of 9 million people,” he said in an interview posted Thursday. “You can’t just kill your way to solving every national security problem you have.”
The US and the Iranian regime have made a new Memorandum of Understanding to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and address the Islamic State’s nuclear program. Critics say the plan complements the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal — which President Donald Trump has long derided — by giving Tehran an economic concession before securing permanent sanctions, while supporters argue it is an effective way to prevent a wider Middle East war and potentially devastating shocks to the global economy.
“I don’t think this deal is popular in Israel right now. I don’t think he’s a very popular person in Israel today,” Douthat said, asked if he agreed with the growing perception that there is a misalignment between US and Israeli interests.
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Vice President JD Vance has done several high-profile interviews as he promotes his new book. (Alex Brandon, Pool/AP Photo)
“Well, what I can say here is that it’s clear that large parts of Israel’s politics and people are very sensitive about the deal, but I also think they’re picking up bad information about the deal and they’re running on it and they’re panicking about it,” Vance said. “And I believe this deal will be good for the whole region and the whole world. That includes, of course, the Israelis.”
He clarified that although he believes that this agreement is the best possible situation in the world, “Fundamentally, we are concerned about what is good for the American people. And to the extent that – and I think the president has shown this – where he sees a contradiction between the goals of the political system in Israel and the goals of the American people, he is willing to say that America is willing to say that separation.”
Vance went on to say that although he has never seen Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticize the deal, other Israelis have been vocal.
Vance spoke with Ben-Gvir, Israel’s Minister of National Security, who said in a recent X interview in response to the killing of four Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah, “With all due respect to the American people, Israel must make it clear to the whole world that the blood of our sons and the safety of our citizens is not a crime. and protecting all Israeli citizens is another consideration.”
Vance’s comments on Douthat came as he warned Israeli officials of “attacking the only powerful friend I have left anywhere in the world” during a White House speech this week.
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Vice President JD Vance issued blunt challenges to Israel’s critics this week. (Ryan Collerd/AFP via Getty Images)
“Look at what we’ve accomplished,” Vance told Douthat. “First of all, the Americans have protected a lot of Israeli lives with our missiles and our missile programs in the last few months. We destroyed their nuclear program. We got the Iranians at a time when they were offering things – and, whether they will actually do it, we will see – but they are offering things that were only dreams even six months ago. So let’s play this title.”
He was later asked by Douthat what he would say to GOP figures such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who may fear that the deal with Iran is “oversold.”
“We’re in the business of solving real problems, not solving abstract problems, so if your idea is to open the Straits, to make them commit to the destruction of enriched uranium, or any number of other potential benefits that would come with this deal – it’s not just whether this is good or bad, it’s, ‘What’s the alternative?’ ‘What do you want to do?'” Vance asked.
“If your proposal is to send less than 200,000 troops to Tehran to make Reza Pahlavi the leader of that country, then so be it,” he said. “But I don’t like to be criticized for anything else.”
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Supporters of the Trump administration’s new Memorandum of Understanding with Iran say it is an effective way to prevent a wider war in the Middle East and a potentially catastrophic shock to the world economy through the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. (Stringer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY via Reuters)
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