Vance criticizes Israel's 'tantrum' over Iran deal in interview with New York Times

The Vice President of the United States, J.D. Vance, participates in an event at the University of Georgia, in Athens
Alyssa Pointer/Reuters
The Vice President of the United States, J.D. Vance, criticized what he called Israel's "strange panic" and "exaggerated reaction" to the agreement reached between Washington and Tehran. The statements were published this Thursday (18) in an interview with the newspaper "The New York Times".
The speech comes amid efforts by President Donald Trump's government to contain criticism of the understanding reached with Iran.
Israeli authorities from different political persuasions, including allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, say that the agreement does not address Israel's concerns about Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. They also argue that the pact could limit Israeli military operations against Hezbollah, a group supported by Tehran and active in Lebanon.
"There is this strange panic within the Israeli system, where they assume that everything that is favorable to Iran will happen, but without the Iranians changing any behavior," Vance told the newspaper. "That's not how the agreement was written."
The vice president stated that the United States will not suspend sanctions against Iran if the country continues to finance organizations classified by Washington as terrorist. The statement was interpreted as a reference to Hezbollah.
Vance also accused Israel of showing a lack of trust in its main ally.
"I find all this overreaction in Israel a little strange, because it comes from a place of distrust. And I believe that the United States has earned the trust of this region of the world," he said.
According to him, Washington has been an important partner for Israel over the years. "The idea that we made a terrible deal is not supported by the facts and makes no sense when you consider the extent of this relationship," he declared.
On Wednesday (17), during the G7 summit in France, Trump also tried to minimize Israeli concerns. The president stated that Netanyahu could adopt a more moderate stance in the fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon, in yet another public criticism of the American ally.
Trump and Iranian leaders this week approved a memorandum of understanding that postponed the most sensitive issues to the next stage of negotiations. There is no guarantee, however, that these issues will be resolved.
When commenting on criticism from far-right Israeli ministers, such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, Vance questioned what alternatives they proposed.
"My response would be: what exactly is your proposal? You are a country of 9 million inhabitants. You cannot simply kill all your national security problems," he said.

Source: G1