Vice President JD Vance defended the Trump administration’s emerging agreement with Iran during an appearance on Fox News Monday night, rejecting comparisons to former President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal and arguing that key regional partners view the two agreements in dramatically different ways.
Vance joined Sean Hannity on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” as part of a series of media appearances focused on both current events and his new book, “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith.” During the interview, discussion quickly turned to the administration’s developing agreement with Iran and criticism from Obama, who recently suggested the arrangement was not meaningfully different from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the JCPOA.
Hannity began by asking Vance about one of the most closely watched aspects of the negotiations: inspections and verification.
“Let’s talk about anyplace, anywhere, anytime U.S. inspectors,” Hannity said. “Is that part of the deal?”
Vance responded by saying inspection provisions remain one of the final issues still being negotiated.
“Yeah, that’s absolutely something that we are negotiating over, Sean,” Vance said. “That’s one of the final details that’s going to be figured out here.”
The vice president then contrasted the current agreement with the Obama-era nuclear accord, arguing that the earlier arrangement created concerns among key nations in the region.
According to Vance, one major problem with the JCPOA was that Gulf Arab countries believed it strengthened Iran while allowing it to continue activities they viewed as destabilizing.
“If you go back to the original Obama JCPOA, there were a couple of big problems with it,” Vance said. “The Gulf Arabs hated the Obama deal.”
He argued that regional governments believed the agreement empowered Iran and provided economic benefits while concerns about Tehran’s behavior remained unresolved.
Vance also claimed that the current agreement has been received very differently by those same countries.
“This deal, the Gulf Arabs love because they know that this is the kind of deal that can fundamentally transform the Middle East,” he said.
The vice president further argued that the Obama-era inspection framework was inadequate, describing it as largely ineffective.
“Another problem with that deal is that the inspections regime was effectively nonexistent,” Vance said.
By contrast, he said the Trump administration’s approach centers on verification and accountability.
“This goes back to our fundamental principle here, that if they show verifiable commitment, and that means a real inspections regime, then they can get the benefits of the bargain,” he explained.
Hannity then referenced Obama’s criticism directly, noting that the former president had argued the new arrangement was not substantially different from the JCPOA.
“Obama took a shot and said, ‘I don’t think this deal is any better than the deal we had before,’” Hannity said.
Vance flatly rejected that comparison.
“Correct,” he replied when Hannity suggested the two agreements were dramatically different.
The vice president then addressed Obama directly, arguing that reactions from governments in the region tell a different story than the former president’s assessment.
“I’d ask the president, the former president, I’d say, Obama, why in the world, if it’s the same thing, why is it that the Gulf Arabs hated your deal and they love our deal?” Vance said.
According to Vance, regional leaders understand both the risks of empowering Iran and the potential benefits of a new diplomatic path.
“They know what it means to enrich the worst terrorist regime in the world,” he said. “And they also know what it means to turn over a new leaf and to go to a different future.”
While debate over the still-developing agreement continues, Vance argued that support from countries closest to the situation should carry significant weight.
“I think President Obama, he should acknowledge that the people who are closest to this, they love the Trump deal,” Vance said. “They hate the Obama deal. And that’s maybe the biggest endorsement of this plan.”
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