Washington: Vice President JD Vance strongly pushed back on Israeli officials who have criticized the just-signed US-Iranian memorandum of understanding, and whom he said have "very personally attacked the President of the United States." Vance acknowledged that the comments from members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Cabinet 'bother' him, maintaining that President Donald Trump "is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time, and he happens to be the head of state of the world superpower."
According to Anadolu Agency, Vance stressed that if he were in the Israeli Cabinet, he would reconsider attacking their most powerful ally. He highlighted that a significant portion of the defensive weapons safeguarding Israel have been manufactured by American hands and funded by American tax dollars in recent months. Vance urged Israeli officials to recognize that their issues do not stem from President Trump but from the broader geopolitical challenges they face.
The remarks from Vance seem to be a direct response to critiques from Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who have openly opposed the Iran deal. Smotrich labeled the deal as detrimental to both Israel and the free world, asserting on the social media platform X that the US-Israeli efforts against Iran had achieved significant gains that should not be squandered.
Ben-Gvir emphasized Israel's stance as an independent nation not bound by the US-Iran agreement, asserting that it holds no relevance to their security. He insisted on the necessity of dismantling Hezbollah and maintaining territories cleared of terrorist threats.
Vance condemned Israeli military actions in Beirut, which disrupted peace talks with Iran, citing the civilian casualties as unacceptable. He expressed growing frustration on behalf of President Trump, noting that progress towards a significant agreement was often undermined by sudden escalations of violence.
In the aftermath of the agreement, Vance stated that the US anticipates Hezbollah will cease its attacks on Israel and expects Israel to avoid aggressive actions in Lebanon. While acknowledging that tensions between Israel and Hezbollah may arise occasionally, he emphasized the US intention to manage these through diplomatic channels.
The agreement, signed by President Trump, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the US naval blockade on Iran as per Pakistani mediation. The closure of Hormuz and subsequent US blockade had severely impacted commercial shipping in the region following the onset of the US-Israel conflict earlier this year.