Vice President JD Vance said the United States now holds the decisive leverage over Iran’s future, warning that Donald Trump would order fresh strikes on Tehran if Iranian leaders fail to honor an expected agreement with Washington.
President Trump said Sunday that the US and Iran had reached a deal aimed at ending the conflict, and he signaled optimism about the outcome by declaring: “Let the oil flow!”
But in an interview with Sean Hannity on Monday night, Vance stressed that both the US and its allies in the Middle East remain highly wary of Tehran’s intentions.
He issued a blunt warning that if Iran does not follow through on what it has pledged, Trump would be prepared to restart military action.
“I’ve known President Trump for a long time,” Vance said. “I would say that means go back and resume bombing. It could. It could be, and he would. I don’t think he would hesitate.”
Vance also said Trump could choose to reimpose a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Vice President said this deal is going to be an attempt to ‘see how serious the Iranians are’ but that both Washington and their Middle Eastern allies are skeptical.
‘[Our allies] don’t believe anything either. They’re not certain. They’re not going to predict what the Iranians are going to do five years from now, but they see real opportunity.’
JD Vance said the United States holds all the cards to Iran’s future and that Donald Trump will go back to bombing Tehran should they betray their impending deal with Washington
Vance told Sean Hannity Monday night that both the US and its Middle Eastern allies remain deeply skeptical of Tehran
Vance said that the ultimate goal of these relations are not a regime change but to get Iran to behave better.
‘He wants Iran to be a normal country. They’ve got to act like it,’ he said.
Vance restated, however, that the United States remains in complete control of where things go from here.
‘We have the cards, and if they don’t honor the commitment, we’ll figure out what to do when we get there.’
Trump’s announcement came the same day he was celebrating his 80th birthday and just hours before he planned to host a massive UFC fight on the White House’s South Lawn.
‘The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!’ Trump posted to Truth Social.
‘I hereby fully authorize the toll-free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade.’
‘Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!,’ Trump exclaimed.
Vance said that the ultimate goal of these relations are not a regime change but to get Iran to behave better
The President announced Sunday that the US and Iran had reached an agreement that would end the Iran war and promised to ‘Let the oil flow!’
In a Truth Social second post, the President boasted about the role he played in bringing about potential peace, nearly four months after Israel and the US launched attacks on Iran, which led to the closure of the Strait and gas prices spiking worldwide.
‘This Great Deal will bring Peace and Security to the whole Region,’ Trump said. ‘Many presidents have tried to make Peace with Iran, and all have failed before me.’
Trump threw out the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, during his first term.
‘The Leaders of the Region have, for the first time, found a President who can help them achieve real Peace,’ the President continued. ‘With the opening of the Strait upon the signing of the Deal on Friday, for purposes of mine removal, oil will flow on both ends again for the Region, and the World!’
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Sunday that the deal will either be signed electronically by Trump or by Vice President JD Vance.
Vance told Fox News Sunday evening that the White House was still working out the logistics, but he planned to be on hand to sign the deal, and it was ‘possible’ the President could attend too.
Trump told the New York Times in an interview on Sunday that the agreement with Iran would make the Strait ‘permanently toll free’ and that negotiations to reach a final nuclear accord would begin Friday in Switzerland.
If those details couldn’t be worked out, Trump threatened to resume attacking Iran or make the US ‘the guardian of the Middle East,’ in return for 20 percent of the region’s revenues, the Times said.
President Donald Trump (right) expressed frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left), saying that Israel’s retaliatory strikes against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah could shatter the peace deal
Vessels sit in the Strait of Hormuz. In a Truth Social post Sunday evening, President Donald Trump exclaimed: ‘Let the oil flow!’
However, on Monday, Iran said it will continue to charge fees for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz after a ‘last-minute’ amendment to its ceasefire deal with the US.
Over the next 60 days, Tehran will guarantee free passage through the strait, but after the ceasefire extension period is over, ships will be required to pay tolls to cover security, navigation, environmental and insurance services.
The eleventh-hour change comes despite US President Donald Trump stating the vital waterway, set to reopen on Friday, would remain ‘permanently toll-free’.
Vance, however, said he expects the Strait of Hormuz to be toll-free in the long term. He told CNBC: ‘Our expectation is that the strait is going to be opened in a toll-free way for the long term, and that’s the sort of thing that we’re going to figure out in these technical negotiations.’
Iran inserted the clause on maritime service charges just before the framework deal was announced. ‘The use of the term ‘maritime services’ means that the United States has accepted that fees will be paid to Iran,’ Iran’s Fars news agency reported.
The deal, set to be signed in Switzerland on Friday, will see an immediate and permanent end to all military operations from both sides, the Strait of Hormuz reopened, and the US blockade on Iranian ports start to lift as soon as the memorandum is signed, according to Iran’s Mehr news agency.
Iran and the US confirmed that Iran agrees that it will neither produce nor acquire nuclear weapons – a promise Tehran has been making repeatedly for decades.
A senior Iranian official said, pending a final agreement, Iran would freeze its nuclear activity, refraining from further uranium enrichment or the expansion of nuclear facilities.
The senior Iranian official said the US had agreed that Iran could dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium inside Iran under a future comprehensive agreement.
Trump said on Saturday there was no urgency to extract Iran’s stockpile of nuclear material, and that the US would retrieve it ‘when all is calm’.
The President said there would be a strong inspections regime for Iran under any deal, but he did not give specifics.
