Vance dismisses Israeli concerns over U.S.-Iran deal as 'weird panic'

Israeli leadership, including allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has warned that the agreement fails to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions or restrict its support for Hezbollah. Vance rejected these assertions, noting that the U.S. would maintain sanctions if Iran continues to fund militant groups. He suggested that Israeli critics, specifically cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, lack a viable alternative strategy to address regional security threats.

"You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have," Vance told The New York Times, prompting a swift retort from Ben-Gvir, who compared Iran to the Nazis of the 20th century. While President Donald Trump has similarly urged a softer approach to the conflict in Lebanon, the memorandum of understanding remains fragile, deferring core disputes to future negotiations with no certainty of resolution.