Vice President JD Vance on Thursday defended the preliminary deal to stop the war with Iran as a \u201cwin for the American people.\u201d But he relied in part on a string of aspirational, vague and misleading claims about the agreement.<\/p>\n
Mr. Vance, speaking at the White House, sought to counter criticism<\/a> that the deal would reward and embolden Iran without ensuring that the United States achieved the main objectives laid out by President Trump at the start of the fighting. The vice president asserted that Iran would gain little if it did not agree to U.S. demands in the next phase of negotiations and will involve Iran\u2019s nuclear program.<\/p>\n Late Thursday, the White House said that Mr. Vance was delaying a trip to Switzerland to negotiate with Iran, raising uncertainty over the next phase of discussions to end the conflict. Mr. Vance said during the briefing that he did not know whether he would still travel to Switzerland on Friday for the negotiations.<\/p>\n It is unclear when Mr. Vance might reschedule his trip.<\/p>\n The agreement, which reopened the Strait of Hormuz, appeared to provide some economic relief to Americans on Thursday, as oil and gas prices dropped<\/a> to levels not seen since the early days of the war. Mr. Vance highlighted the development as he continued his increasingly prominent role<\/a> as a defender of the deal.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have all the cards,\u201d Mr. Vance said, adding, \u201cIf they change their behavior, big things are going to happen for Iran and for the world. If they don\u2019t, no skin off our backs.\u201d<\/p>\n But he sought to divert attention from the text of the memorandum of understanding<\/a> released by the two sides on Wednesday, which appeared to give Iran a number of immediate benefits. He worked to focus instead on what he insisted would be a favorable outcome for the United States in the coming round of negotiations for a final deal.<\/p>\n \u201cWords don\u2019t matter, ladies and gentlemen,\u201d Mr. Vance said. \u201cWe\u2019re about verification.\u201d<\/p>\n Here is a look at the vice president\u2019s main arguments in favor of the deal.<\/p>\n Oil Sales<\/p>\n Mr. Vance claimed that one immediate concession in the memorandum of understanding \u2014 lifting oil sanctions on Iran \u2014 was \u201cnot a new benefit\u201d for the country.<\/p>\n The claim ignores how the economic penalties in place before the war forced Iran to resort to desperate methods to sell oil. The sanctions forced Iran to sell its oil at a steep discount from market prices, mostly to refineries in China that were willing to risk running afoul of U.S. sanctions.<\/p>\n Now, under its preliminary deal with the United States, Iran will be able to sell its oil for more, and to a wider array of buyers. The country will also receive payment in more attractive currencies.<\/p>\n Mr. Vance was correct that the removal of the U.S. blockade on Iranian oil would allow the country\u2019s exports to return to prewar levels \u2014 assuming it still has the production capacity to do so \u2014 and so it was unlikely that Iran would sell substantially more oil than before the fighting began, at least initially.<\/p>\n Nuclear Program<\/p>\n In the memorandum, Iran reiterated its longstanding commitment not to pursue a nuclear weapon, an assurance that the United States and its allies have long regarded as largely meaningless. But the agreement does not settle the question of whether Iran will retain the right to enrich uranium, something that Tehran has long insisted on. It is vague about whether Iran will be able to keep stores of uranium after any final agreement goes into effect.<\/p>\n Mr. Vance projected confidence that the final agreement would include terms upholding Mr. Trump\u2019s goal of ensuring that Iran cannot possess nuclear weapons, and that Iran would not benefit from the changes promised in the memorandum if it does not comply with the U.S. demands.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have promised not to enrich, they have promised they would allow inspectors in to destroy that highly enriched stockpile,\u201d Mr. Vance added. \u201cThat\u2019s why the deal contemplates a number of benefits if they do those things, but it doesn\u2019t do anything if they don\u2019t actually meet those promises.\u201d<\/p>\n That the agreement does not stipulate the future of the stockpile of high-grade and low-grade uranium is notable, particularly because Mr. Trump has said that the 2015 Obama-era Iran deal financially rewarded Tehran while phasing out the country\u2019s limits on enrichment.<\/p>\n The one paragraph in Mr. Trump\u2019s preliminary deal that addresses the nuclear program requires Iran to \u201cdown-blend\u201d \u2014 essentially dilute \u2014 the approximately 11 tons of enriched nuclear material in its possession, including 970 pounds that are enriched to 60 percent, just short of bomb grade. But it does not require Iran to surrender that material and ship it out of the country.<\/p>\n Under the Obama-era deal, Iran sent about 97 percent of its stockpile to Russia.<\/p>\n Mr. Vance still argued that Iran was unlikely to rebuild their nuclear program without getting \u201ca lot of money.\u201d<\/p>\n Financial Benefits<\/p>\n The memorandum commits the United States to supporting the establishment of a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran, and it opens the door to the unfreezing of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets held around the world.<\/p>\n The memorandum also calls for the lifting of an array of international sanctions that have crippled Iran\u2019s economy for years, subject to agreement on the final deal.<\/p>\n Critics have said the memorandum amounts to a giveaway, with no assurance of the United States getting anything in return.<\/p>\n Mr. Vance emphasized that the United States would not contribute money to the reconstruction fund. The financial benefits in the deal, he said, would only be available to Iran if it complied \u201cfully\u201d with conditions the United States could seek as part of the final agreement, and if the country chose to \u201cchange their behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n But the memorandum says that the United States will unfreeze assets and release restricted funds \u201cupon the implementation of this M.O.U.\u201d<\/p>\n Ballistic Missiles<\/p>\n The preliminary agreement makes no mention of curbing Iran\u2019s ballistic missile program, a major concern of Israel\u2019s and a goal set by administration officials in the early days of the war. Iran\u2019s missile program has allowed it to reach targets across the region, including in Israel.<\/p>\n Asked about the issue, Mr. Vance repeated Mr. Trump\u2019s assertion that it was impossible to tell any country that it could not defend itself.<\/p>\n That is a turnabout for an administration that in March described the destruction of Iran\u2019s ballistic missiles as one of the goals of the war. \u201cThe United States is conducting an operation to eliminate the threat of Iran\u2019s short-range ballistic missiles,\u201d Secretary of State Marco Rubio said then.<\/p>\n