US Vice President JD Vance addressed criticism in Israel of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran in an interview with The New York Times, and defended the agreement promoted by President Donald Trump.
Vance said he had not heard direct criticism of the agreement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Maybe I missed it, but I don’t think Bibi himself has actually criticized the deal. Because I think he’s maybe a little more familiar with the details of what’s in it," he said.
He then addressed criticism voiced by ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. “People in their system, like Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, attacked the deal. My response to them would be: What exactly is your proposal? You can’t just kill your way out of solving every national security problem you have," he said.
Vance claimed that the criticism in Israel stems from a lack of trust, adding that in his view the United States has proven its commitment to Israel over the years. According to him, the claim that this is a bad agreement “is not supported by the facts" and does not align with the depth of the relationship between the two countries.
The vice president also addressed the situation in Iran, saying that “the moderate side in Iran, which wants a better relationship with the West, has won the internal debate in recent months." According to him, under the agreement, Iran will not be able to maintain a missile program that threatens the entire world.
He further noted that the United States expects Israel “not to go wild" in southern Lebanon, while maintaining its right to defend itself.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir responded to the remarks on X, writing in English: “Here is the proposal, JD Vance: deal with the Nazis of the 21st century the same way the United States dealt with the Nazis of the 20th century."