US Vice President J.D. Vance said he was confident that Israel would eventually join the new agreement between Washington and Tehran, as the two sides prepare for a new round of talks on the Iranian nuclear program, scheduled for Friday in Switzerland, the Times of Israel reports.
In a series of television interviews, Vance defended the agreement announced by President Donald Trump, saying: "What we know is that this agreement will make Israel safer; it will make the entire region safer." He added that "a lot of misinformation" is circulating around the document and expressed confidence that the Israelis will perceive it as "the path to a new Middle East, to peace and prosperity in this region".
Trump announced on Sunday that the United States and Iran had signed a digital memorandum of understanding that provides for a 60-day extension of the ceasefire, the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the start of negotiations for a permanent settlement of the dispute over Tehran's nuclear program. The official signing is scheduled for Friday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed the start of new negotiations and warned that any Israeli actions in Lebanon would constitute a violation of the interim agreement. According to him, "the two parties to this memorandum are the United States and Israel, on the one hand, and Iran and Hezbollah, on the other".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that Israel is not a party to the memorandum and is not yet familiar with all its details. He said Israeli forces would remain in the buffer zone in southern Lebanon "for as long as necessary".
The agreement has drawn criticism from both the opposition and representatives of the ruling coalition, who have described it as a security risk to Israel.
Meanwhile, the contents of the memorandum remain unclear. According to Vance, the document is "about a page and a half, so it's a very general document", and the details will be clarified during technical negotiations.
Trump said on social media that "Iran has agreed to never have a nuclear weapon!". Vance said a key element of the agreement is the destruction of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium under the supervision of the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
According to media reports, some US officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett, have expressed doubts about whether Iran is ready to implement the nuclear concessions demanded. However, the White House insists that the agreement ensures that Tehran will not be able to acquire a nuclear weapon or threaten the world's energy supply.