US Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that President Donald Trump never sought to install Reza Pahlavi as Iran's leader, describing the US-Iran framework agreement as part of a broader regional peace framework.
"The President of the United States never said that his intention was to install Reza Pahlavi as the new leader of Iran," Vance said in an interview with Megyn Kelly on YouTube.
“What he said is, if the Iranian people want to rise up… fine; that’s their business… that’s between them and their government.”
Vance added that the US goal was to disrupt Iran's nuclear program "whether through diplomatic means or through military means, as it ultimately pursued that path."
The vice president described the agreement as "a regional peace agreement" that would extend beyond Iran to include the Gulf states, Israel and Lebanon.
"The idea is that if the Iranians abide by the agreement, then we will have a truly transformative agreement for the Middle East, and if not, they will not receive any economic benefits," he said.
Vance also rejected comparisons to the Marshall Plan, saying the agreement differed in two key ways.
“First of all, the Marshall Plan was a lot of American tax money – this is not American taxpayer money,” he said. “Secondly, we are saying that you only benefit from this deal if you change your behavior.”
"If they want the benefits of the deal, enrichment will be on the table, and most importantly, verification and inspections will be on the table," Vance said.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed electronically between the US and Iran on Sunday, which includes the end of military operations on all fronts and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while also paving the way for talks on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The signing ceremony is scheduled for June 19 in Switzerland.
Trump, speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, pledged to release the full text of the signed Memorandum of Understanding and said he would hold a press conference and read it "word for word."
