JD Vance says some in Israel like US-Iran deal 'quite a bit' despite backlash

US Vice President JD Vance claimed that “some element within Israel” like the US-Iran deal “quite a bit". During a CNBC interview, Vance responded to widespread condemnation from Israeli politicians across the political spectrum. Vance claims that the criticism has to do with “misreporting” from the Iranian media in an attempt to sell it to the domestic audience. He further added that a full copy of the MoU will be released later in the week. According to Vance, the deal will create “a new Middle East” in which “Israel is going to have a seat at the table.”

Earlier in an interview with CBS News, Vance said that Netanyahu "aggressively asserts the interests of his country" but that they were not always aligned with those of the US. “But, even when we've been close partners, sometimes we have interests that are perfectly aligned, and sometimes we have interests that are misaligned,” said Vance. "And what I've seen with the prime minister is that he aggressively asserts the interests of his country- sometimes that means we're on the same page, sometimes it means we're not."

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He said that in those times the US had to focus on its own interests, "and where that diverges, we - unfortunately for the Israelis - have to choose the side of the American people".

Israel has vehemently denied the US-Iran agreement, saying that it is not bound by the same. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich slammed the agreement on X, calling it "bad for Israel and for the entire free world. Period." Smotrich insisted Israel must continue its own campaign to topple the Iranian regime. Israel has claimed that it will maintain a military presence in Lebanon. Prior to the signing, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the defence ministry instructed the Israeli military to prepare for independent action against Iran's nuclear program. Iran maintains that the United States bears the direct "responsibility" for implementing the newly announced peace deal and controlling Israel's military actions.