Former US Vice President Mike Pence sharply condemned the emerging agreement between Washington and Tehran, saying the leaked terms show Iran would gain major economic relief without making meaningful concessions. Pence, who served under Donald Trump in his first term, said the language he has seen contains no mention of dismantling Iran’s nuclear program or its ballistic missile program, and no commitment to stop supporting Hamas, Hezbollah, or other terrorist groups.
He warned that sanctions relief would begin immediately once a memorandum of understanding is signed, and said Iran could receive as much as $3 billion a month into state coffers. Pence also said the deal could include the release of $100 billion in frozen Iranian assets, based on some of the leaked wording, even before a final agreement is reached if talks advance.
Pence further criticized plans to help rebuild Iranian infrastructure while the current leadership remains in power. He called the reported push for the United States and others to create a $300 billion reconstruction fund, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and “radical Islamists” still run the country, “deeply irresponsible.”
He compared the effort to what he described as failed US appeasement under Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and said Trump’s first administration rejected that approach. Pence urged the current president to hold firm, draw a red line, and if Iran will not accept basic terms that protect US, Israeli, and regional security, allow the US military to “open the straits and eliminate the threat on our terms.”
