Calling it “fundamentally a good deal for the American people,” Vance said the deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz “immediately” and provide a framework “whereby if the Iranians give us what we need on stopping the funding of terrorism, on no longer pursuing a nuclear weapon, then they can get some benefits, be reinvited into the world economy.”
“When I say benefits, I’m talking about sanctions relief on their economy,” he said.
“We’ve destroyed their nuclear programme, but one of the things the president is trying to do is give them the incentive not to try to rebuild that programme for the long haul.”
When asked whether the deal would include at least $300 billion in reconstruction financing for Iran, the lifting of all sanctions against Tehran, and the release of all frozen funds, Vance said that “none of those things flow to Iran unless Iran fundamentally changes how it behaves with the world.“
“What the president is really saying is, if Iran fundamentally transforms how it deals with the United States and the region, the rest of the world, then Iran can get some economic benefits,” the US vice president said.
Related
Media reports, and Lebanon
Meanwhile, the White House on Wednesday dismissed media reports claiming to detail specific terms of the peace deal, saying the documents circulated by news outlets do not accurately reflect the official agreement.
“The supposed text of the MOU (memorandum of understanding) that was obtained by CNN does not reflect the language of the actual MOU,“ White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung wrote on X.
His remarks follow widespread reports from major organisations, including Bloomberg and CNN, claiming they had reviewed the document.
Media reports this week indicated that Iran will be allowed to immediately sell oil and fuel under the deal, with sanctions waivers taking effect upon the signing of the agreement, with the in-person signing set for Friday.
Meanwhile, Israel has been expanding its invasion on Lebanon that began on March 2, which has left thousands killed and wounded and more than 1 million displaced, according to official figures.
Iran says that the continuing presence of Israeli troops in Lebanon would be a violation of the US-Iran agreement set to be signed on Friday. Pakistan says Lebanon is part of US-Iran deal.
Israel says “Trump’s agreement does not bind us”, while US President Donald Trump has lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of Israel’s “minor war” against Hezbollah in Lebanon, voicing frustration that the parallel conflict was complicating his efforts to end the “major war” with Iran.
