GENEVA — Vice President JD Vance claimed Monday that the US and Iran have “already signed” a peace agreement ending their three-and-a-half month-long war.
Vance told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the deal was signed “digitally” ahead of a formal signing ceremony due to take place Friday in Switzerland.It was not immediately clear whether Vance was referring to the same agreement or whether he meant a preliminary memorandum of understanding or deal framework.
Still, the fact that there is apparently a signed document raises several questions, including why the text hasn’t been released (Vance said it would be later this week), whether Sunday’s’ signing triggered the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the US lifting its blockade on Iranian ports, and if Sunday marked the opening of a 60-day window for technical talks or if that will have to wait until Friday.
President Trump, who previously indicated the strait will open on Friday, will be expected to discuss the logistics of demining the strait when he meets with G7 leaders in France this week.
“Ships are starting to move, many loaded up with Oil, out of the Strait of Hormuz,” the president wrote on Truth Social on Monday morning.
Vance made the rounds of Monday morning news shows to urge caution following reports out of Iran purporting to detail the agreement — and to push back against members of his own party who expressed concern about reports Iran would get reconstruction funds.
The VP confirmed Iran will get access to a $300 billion reconstruction fund if they meet their obligations to end their nuclear program, but that money would not come from the United States.
“That’s the sort of thing they could have access to, funded by the [Gulf Cooperation Council], so long as they honor their end of the obligation,” Vance told “CBS Mornings” when asked about the fund. “We absolutely are open to the [GCC] countries investing in the reconstruction of Iran only if Iran ends their nuclear program.”
Vance also told “GMA” that “not a single dollar of American money will go to Iran” and emphasized that any financial benefit would come after Tehran hits certain benchmarks in regards to ending their uranium enrichment program.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a strong Trump ally, has been one of the most critical voices of a reconstruction fund, warning the money would be wasted without change in Iran’s leadership.
“The idea of a $300 billion reconstruction fund, given who is in charge of Iran, seems to be tone deaf. It would be akin to a Marshall Plan for Germany with the Nazis still in charge,” he wrote on social media.
“I caution Lindsey Graham and anybody else not to believe the hard-liner propaganda in Iran, but to believe what’s actually in the agreement,” Vance responded. “We’ll be releasing the text this week, and what everybody will see is that Iran doesn’t get a dime of money unless they perform their obligations. The money that we’re talking about is fundamentally sanctions relief. We’re not giving them American money.”
Many questions remain about the details of the deal, particularly when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz and whether fees will be charged for traversing it. Trump has said the passage will remain “permenantly” fee-free but Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Monday that while Iran would not collect tolls on ships passing through the critical waterway, he suggested Tehran could still charge fees “in exchange for the services that are provided.”
Vance conceded during an interview with CNBC that “there are a lot of very important details to figure out that we’re actually going to sit at the table and discuss together.”
“Our expectation is that the strait is going to be opened in a toll-free way for the long term,” he said. “And that’s the sort of thing that we’re going to figure out in these technical negotiations.”
