US Vice President JD Vance excoriated Israeli critics of the US-Iran interim peace agreement, warning Thursday, “I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.”
Speaking to reporters from the White House, Vance said that President Donald Trump was “the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,” and chastised Israeli cabinet members that the majority of the Jewish State’s defensive weapons were provided through US funding.
“The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the President of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in,” Vance said.
However, the vice president asserted that Israel still has the right to defend itself regarding the ceasefire with Lebanon.
“Fundamentally, the Israelis, just like everybody, have to respect this peace process that is fundamentally good for them and for the entire region,” he said.
“What the president gets a little frustrated with sometimes is that we seem to be right on the cusp of a major breakthrough in the agreement, and then all of a sudden, there’s a major explosion that goes off in a civilian population center in Beirut, and a lot of people who have nothing to do with Hezbollah lose their lives. That is not acceptable; that is the sort of thing we’ve asked for closer coordination to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
.@VP: “One of the reasons we are engaged in this process is to ensure that no money is flowing to Hezbollah… What I would say to you know some of the the the critics of the deal that I’ve heard, that will say, ‘well, Iran’s gonna get all this benefit.’ … What is the benefit… pic.twitter.com/4Nh2sDVA06
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 18, 2026
Two-month period of ceasefire starts today, Vance says
Vance said the 60-day window laid out in a memorandum of understanding approved by President Donald Trump and Iranian leaders begins on Thursday.
“I would say the 60-day period officially started today,” Vance told reporters at a White House briefing.
The vice president hit out at critics of the MoU, stating that the deal ensures that Iran must change its behavior before getting any benefits.
“What is the benefit that the Iranians get that they didn’t have before? The answer is nothing. If they don’t change their behavior, they don’t get the benefit of the bargain,” he said.
“The idea that the Iranians get all of these benefits before the deal is actually consummated is fundamentally a talking point that is issued by people who want the conflict to continue.”
Trump administration will brief Congress on lifting Iran sanctions
Vance added that the administration would soon brief the US Congress on the Iran deal, but said it was confident it could temporarily lift sanctions on Tehran without congressional approval.
“We feel quite confident that we can temporarily lift those sanctions without going to Congress and seeking their approval on that,” Vance told reporters at the White House.
“We think these technical negotiations are going to start sometime this weekend. That’s still the plan, but that could change,” Vance said at a White House briefing, adding that Iran is a hard country to get out of.
He said he planned to lead the US negotiating team in talks with Iran.
