Technical talks on Iran expected this weekend, Vance says

US Vice President JD Vance said international waterways should be free of tolls and any final agreement with Iran must ensure the Strait of Hormuz is not used as a choke point for the global economy.

“First of all, we believe international waterways should be free of tolls, and that's been our position. That's what you see, of course, in the 60 days of the MOU,” Vance said.

Vance said the memorandum of understanding envisioned Oman, Iran and the GCC working together on a future security framework for the strait.

“We don't ever want this to happen again,” Vance said. “That's not about tolling, that's about ensuring that the straits are never used as a choke point for the global economy ever again.”

“We're going to do, of course, working with our allies in the region, is to ensure that that is reflected in the final deal, and if that's not reflected in the final deal, there's not going to be a final deal,” he added.

“If the Iranians want the benefits of the bargain, they have to give us the things that are necessary to get those benefits,” he said.

Vice President JD Vance said the United States would take a holistic approach in deciding whether Iran had crossed a red line that could prompt Washington to resume the war.

“It's going to be a holistic approach where we look at their behavior, are they funding terrorism, are they leading to attacks of other people, are they trying to get centrifuges to redevelop their nuclear weapons program,” Vance told a press briefing.

“There are all these questions that we're going to ask about whether they've actually changed their behavior. Do they allow the inspectors in as they have promised that they would do, or do they refuse to allow those inspectors in? A whole host of things.”

Vance said the United States was working toward “a very successful resolution of this process,” but added that “it takes two to tango.”

“What the President is just saying is that we maintain economic, diplomatic, and military leverage that nobody else in the world has,” Vance said.

“So, if the Iranians want to change, great, we're going to help them. If they don't change, we still got all the cards,” he added.

US Vice President JD Vance said Iran had not fired at any ships in the Strait of Hormuz for a second consecutive night and was so far honoring its commitment under the agreement.

“On the military side, the Iranians, for the second night in a row, did not shoot at any ships in the Strait of Hormuz. So far they are honoring their end of the commitment,” Vance told a press briefing.

“And on the blockade, CENTCOM has allowed north of a dozen ships to go through our naval blockade, and so we're also honoring our end of the early part of the agreement,” he added.

Vance said Iran would only be able to access frozen assets or reconstruction funds if it complied with the agreement and changed its behavior.

“You will hear things about $300 billion or $24 billion or this or that number of money or amount of money, and the simple fact is that the only way the Iranians get any of those resources, not a single penny, by the way, from the United States of America under any circumstances, but the only way that they would ever get any benefit of the bargain is if they comply fully and change their behavior,” he said.

US Vice President JD Vance criticized what he called a “weird panic” and “freakout” in Israel over the agreement between the United States and Iran.

“There is this weird panic almost in the Israeli system that I’ve picked up on where they assume that everything that is contemplated that is good for Iran will happen — but that will happen without the Iranians changing any behavior,” Vance said in an interview with the New York Times.

“That’s not how the deal is written,” he added.

Israeli officials across the political spectrum, including some allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have criticized the agreement, saying it failed to address concerns over Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and would constrain Israel’s military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Vance said the United States would not remove sanctions on Iran if Tehran was still funding a terrorist organization, in an apparent reference to Hezbollah.

Israel will not withdraw from a security zone in southern Lebanon as long as its security needs require it, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, in his first public remarks since the text of the US-Iran agreement was published.

“We will restore security to the north,” Netanyahu said. “This requires maintaining the security zone in southern Lebanon, and it requires that we not leave it as long as Israel’s security needs demand it.”

Netanyahu said the zone separated Hezbollah from Israeli citizens and communities.

He also said Israel’s struggle was not over after the signing of the Iran-US memorandum of understanding.

“The struggle is still not over and further challenges still lie ahead,” Netanyahu said.

“We will continue to adhere to the supreme goal that has guided us — Iran will not have nuclear weapons,” he added.