Trump jokes he can blame Vance if Iran deal fails; negotiating text sparks controversy
U.S. President Trump said on Wednesday that if a deal to end 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. Earlier, a reporter suggested that by sending the vice president to sign the Iran agreement in the coming days instead of going himself, Trump was setting Vance up as a scapegoat.
Trump made the remarks to reporters at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, as a senior U.S. official separately read out by phone the text of the so-called memorandum of understanding with Iran, while two Republican senators sharply criticized the agreement.
The text called 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 transit fees.
Among the 14 separate clauses in the memorandum was a U.S.-Iran agreement aimed at addressing the Islamic Republic's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
One official argued during the call that the United States had no urgent need to go into Iran to retrieve the material because last summer's U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities had been highly successful and buried the material deep underground.
'Because of the success of Operation Midnight Hammer, those nuclear materials are buried very, very deep,' the official said of the material the administration 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 U.S. needs to strike Iran again because the Islamic Republic poses an imminent nuclear-weapons threat. But the senior official's comment suggested the nuclear materials had been inaccessible since last year, weakening 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 the 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. mainland,' he said at the time.
Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy wrote on X that the agreement was 'the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.'
'Iran's nuclear ambitions have not been curbed. They have tasted the benefits of threatening the Strait of Hormuz and will try it again later,' Cassidy said. 'Now, under this deal, Iran can build brand-new infrastructure. Before the war, the strait was open, Iran was squeezed by sanctions, and 13 service members were alive. Now, 13 Americans are dead, families are paying billions more for fuel, 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 were killed. Several of our partners in the Middle East were attacked. Three hundred and sixty-five 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 at the end of the press conference. He gave the final question to Fox News' Peter Doocy, who noted that he himself was already in Europe.
Doocy asked, 'Why not stay until you sign this Iran peace deal?'
Trump replied, 'I might.' But he suggested he might not.
'It's a memorandum of understanding,' Trump said. 'It's very important, but maybe not the kind of document I should be the one signing.'
Doocy then said, 'There is a sense that you send the vice president. If the deal gets done and everything works out, it makes you 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.'
'That's right. That way, if it works, I get the credit. If it doesn't, I'll blame JD,' Trump said.
'You'd better watch out, JD. He'll turn the plane around and get out of this damn place fast. Yes, I like that idea. I think it's a good idea,' the president said.
Key points of the memorandum text
A senior U.S. official read the agreement text to reporters on Wednesday during a background call. The text said the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran had reached the arrangement in good faith. The core points included an immediate and permanent end to military action, respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, negotiations on a final agreement within up to 60 days, lifting of maritime blockades, guaranteed commercial passage through the Strait of Hormuz, reconstruction and economic development plans, a gradual end to sanctions, handling of enriched-material stocks and nuclear issues, establishment of an implementation mechanism, and approval through a UN Security Council resolution.
The text also said that until a final agreement is reached, both sides will maintain the status quo; the United States will not impose new sanctions or deploy additional forces in the region. At the same time, the U.S. will grant exemptions for exports of Iranian crude oil and related services, and will make frozen or restricted funds and assets available.
Editor: Ding Wenwu
