Long before the details of the peace deal with Iran, as laid out in the Memorandum of Understanding, were made public, President Donald Trump’s critics were prepared with their verdict: it’s a bad deal, Trump caved to Iran, yada, yada, yada. We knew that was coming, and anyone who expected anything different hasn’t been paying attention. But there has been some criticism of the deal from the right as well, and while there may be legitimate concerns, much of the criticism may be misplaced.
Vice President JD Vance addressed the skepticism head-on during Thursday's White House press briefing, making the case that leverage, not blind trust, is driving the strategy. “They certainly recognize that the United States has great leverage," Vance said. "Will that ultimately lead to a change in behavior? I don't know."
He acknowledged that critics doubt Iran will ever change, but he didn't pretend that possibility erases the upside. "If so, they don't get any of the benefits of the bargain," Vance said. "But isn't it worth trying? Isn't it worth seeing whether this incredibly weakened position that the President of the United States has put the Iranians under, whether that motivates them to change their behavior not just vis-à-vis the west, but vis-à-vis the Middle East?"
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Vance didn't stop at theory. He pointed to the people with the most skin in the game. "I tend to think that you should trust the people who know the Iranians the best and who have the most to lose," Vance said. "What are the Gulf Arab states saying about this deal? What are they saying about this deal compared to the JCPOA in 2015?"
He noted that the Gulf states despised Obama's 2015 deal because it bankrolled Iranian aggression across the region, and they turned out to be right about it. Their reaction to Trump's framework is the opposite. "They're saying this is an amazingly transformative thing for the region," Vance said, "because either way, we and the broader region win, Iran is weakened, their nuclear program destroyed, their economy in desperate straits, and if they change their behavior, big things are going to happen for Iran and for the world."
VP Vance Addresses Regime Change in Iran and Potential Behavior Shift - 06/18/26 pic.twitter.com/b0A7eA2gsX
— D. Scott @eclipsethis2003 (@eclipsethis2003) June 18, 2026
He also addressed the biggest fake news about the deal.
“As you all know, the part of the peace plan, the part of this MOU that I think have been most misrepresented by certain parts of the media, is the idea that the Iranians get all these benefits. You will hear things about $300 billion or $24 billion or this or that number of money or amount of money,” he began. “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 behavior. And so you really have a win-win situation for the United States of America. If the Iranians don't change their behavior, their military and their nuclear program is still destroyed. If they do change their behavior, then they are going to have a transformative relationship with the Middle East, and the Middle East will have a transformative relationship with the people of Iran. That's a win for the American people and for the President of the United States. Regardless of which option the Iranians ultimately choose, we obviously want them to choose the right option.”
For all the pundits and influencers pushing the lie that the United States is giving billions to Iran: watch this.
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) June 18, 2026
You’re lying.@VP sets the record straight:
"The only way the Iranians get any of those resources, not a single penny by the way from the United States of America… pic.twitter.com/P7UbAimhx5
Greg Gutfeld took the same argument and ran it through a meaner filter. Wednesday night on The Five, and his framing cuts right through the noise. "It's a good deal when someone is at their weakest," Gutfeld said. "Who do you want to fight? Mike Tyson in his prime or Mike Tyson at 60 with the flu?"
He had no patience for the idea that the $300 billion in rebuilding money, which many are making a stink about, somehow counts as an Iranian victory. "They got destroyed," Gutfeld said. "Sounds like telling somebody who lost their house and everything in it that they won because Allstate cut them a check. No, they're starting over in a deeper hole than they've ever been."
Gutfeld continued, "Trump devastated Iran so deeply, we weren't even able to understand it for weeks," Gutfeld said. "They eliminated multiple levels of leadership. They weren't even sure who to deal with. You got to sift through the rubble to find a temp." He didn't pretend the regime had suddenly grown trustworthy, either.
"Yes, they're gonna lie and cheat on a deal. We know that. But get this, they always lied and cheated on a deal," Gutfeld said. "The difference is they've never been less of a threat in their entire existence than now." As for Iran's old reputation as the world's top sponsor of terror, Gutfeld didn't hold back. "Again, they couldn't sponsor a lemonade stand," he said. "And even if they did, left-wingers would try to rob them."
Gutfeld saved his sharpest line for the Democrat Party. "I'm waiting for the Dems and the media to get through their five stages of grief with Trump," Gutfeld said. "They're still stuck in the first step, which is denial. This might be the time to accept that he's president, especially with this."
"It's a GOOD DEAL when someone is at their weakest."
— The Five (@TheFive) June 17, 2026
Here's why @greggutfeld likes President Trump's Iran deal. 🤔🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/YVDcwkJIqr
Iran's economy is in ruins, its leadership gutted, and its nuclear infrastructure in pieces, and the loudest voices in the room are gaslighting the public about what the deal really means. Vance built the policy case. Gutfeld stripped away the spin. Between the two of them, there isn't much left for the skeptics to stand on.
