US Vice-President JD Vance has stated that numerous issues regarding the agreement with Iran still need to be resolved, as many Republicans express skepticism about the deal reached by Donald Trump and urge the White House to disclose more details.
Memorandum of Understanding
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) announced on Sunday to end the war in Iran, scheduled for a ceremonial signing on Friday in Geneva, focuses on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the US naval blockade in the region, along with financial incentives for Iran if it meets certain benchmarks.
In an interview with CNN on Monday, Vance described it as "a very general document" with specifics to be worked out during further negotiations.
"The MOU … is about a page," Vance said. "On a number of issues, we are going to have to figure this stuff out during the technical negotiation phase."
Republican Skepticism
His comments came as many Senate Republicans returning to Washington on Monday said there were still many unanswered questions about the deal and that they need thorough briefings before it is finalized.
"I just don’t know enough about it," Republican John Thune told reporters in the Capitol. "Even the people who follow this stuff closely up here don’t know that much about it."
Congressional leaders and intelligence committees typically receive higher-level intelligence briefings before rank-and-file members, and they are notified of major developments before they are announced. But Thune, the Senate majority leader, said he had not been personally briefed on the deal.
"I think that my understanding of what it entails – and, again, not having seen anything … I think the issues are going to be compliance, and how are you going to enforce that," Thune said.
Thune’s concerns were echoed by several other Republican senators. "If it’s a secret deal then how can I take it seriously?" asked Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
Nuclear Program Concerns
Trump has not yet explained how his agreement will address Iran’s nuclear program, including who will verify compliance and who will destroy or remove highly enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites damaged by US strikes last summer.
Financial Incentives
The memorandum of understanding also includes the possibility of releasing Iran’s frozen funds, sanctions relief, and a $300 billion fund to help rebuild Iran if Tehran meets certain benchmarks, US officials told reporters on Monday. However, the document has not been released.
Thune said he wants to know more about the conditions on the financial incentives for Iran. He said the deal would be a "good one" if the incentives are conditioned upon Iran winding down its nuclear program and eliminating enriched uranium, "preventing them from having a nuclear capability in the future."
In interviews on Monday, Vance appeared to confirm that the $300 billion reconstruction fund was in the agreement but noted that it would be paid for by neighboring Gulf states. Vance said the White House would release the text this week, "and what everybody will see is that Iran doesn’t get a dime of money unless they perform their obligations."
Historical Context
Iran agreed to sharply curtail its nuclear program in a 2015 deal with the Obama administration. Trump withdrew the US from that accord during his first term, which allowed Iran to regain billions in frozen assets, a move Trump has frequently derided as sending "pallets of cash" to Iran.
Graham's Reaction
Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally and longtime hawk on Iran, expressed skepticism over the emerging agreement, stating he wants to see the memorandum and that Congress will need to review and vote on it. "The way Iran describes it, it’s awful. The way we describe it, it makes sense to me," Graham said. "Let’s look at it and see what it actually is."
Vance responded to Graham on Monday, saying in an ABC interview that he would "caution Lindsey Graham and anybody else not to believe the hardliner propaganda in Iran, but to believe what’s actually in the agreement."
