Vice President JD Vance defended the Trump administration’s newly announced agreement with Iran during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Five,” where he challenged criticism of the deal and argued that opponents were overlooking key conditions attached to any potential benefits for Tehran, as reported by The Gateway Pundit.

Vance joined the program Tuesday evening as a guest co-host while promoting his new book, “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith.”

During the discussion, he sparred with fellow co-host Jessica Tarlov over reports concerning the administration’s agreement with Iran.

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Tarlov referenced reporting from The Wall Street Journal and Axios and suggested that concerns had been raised about the agreement by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The exchange quickly turned into a broader debate over what Iran would receive under the framework of the agreement and what conditions would have to be met before any economic benefits could be realized.

Vance argued that critics were focusing on potential gains for Iran while ignoring the concessions and changes the country would be required to make.

“Jessica, you’re making the same mistake, unfortunately, that a lot of the Iranian propagandists make when they talk about this,” Vance said.

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He continued by arguing that opponents of the agreement were discussing possible benefits without acknowledging the requirements imposed on Iran.

“They talk about the benefits to the Iranians without any of the things the Iranians would have to give up and have to change in order to get those benefits,” Vance said.

The vice president also addressed claims involving a reported $300 billion investment fund tied to the agreement.

“So you mentioned $300 billion fund, let’s be clear about this — not a single cent of American money under any circumstance, no matter what the Iranians do, goes to Iran, not a single cent of American money!” Vance said.

Tarlov responded by noting, “But they got other money.”

Vance then explained how the administration views foreign investment provisions that could become available if Iran meets the terms outlined in the agreement.

“Here’s what this says. This says, for example, let’s say that the United Arab Emirates, who have been a great ally, let’s say they want to invest in a power plant in Iran, what this deal provides is that if the Iranians have done everything we require them to do, then we will allow the United Arab Emirates to do that,” Vance said.

According to Vance, current restrictions prevent such investments from moving forward without U.S. approval.

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“But they can’t do that right now without American approval. So we’re fundamentally saying if the Iranians transform how they interact with the world, we will transform how the world economy interacts with Iran,” Vance said.

The vice president emphasized that Iran would not receive any benefits automatically and argued that compliance with the agreement’s requirements would be necessary before economic opportunities became available.

“But if they don’t do any of that stuff, they don’t get any of these benefits.

So I think all the Democrats who are saying, well, the Iranians get all these things, they don’t get anything unless there’s been a complete transformation of how Iran interacts with the world, that would be a huge win for America!” Vance added.

Vance also argued that the United States had already achieved major strategic objectives regardless of whether Iran ultimately complies with the agreement.

“If they don’t do any of these things, we don’t give them anything. They don’t receive anything. Their nuclear program is still destroyed. Their military is still destroyed. Their missile program and industrial base is still destroyed. We fundamentally have transformed the Middle East. Whether they comply or not, this is just icing on the cake, assuming they do all the right things,” Vance said.

The discussion highlighted continuing debate over the administration’s approach to Iran, with supporters arguing that the agreement provides incentives for behavioral change while maintaining significant leverage through economic restrictions and approval requirements.

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