Vance Joins The Five To Talk Faith, Then Iran Takes Over
Vice President JD Vance spent part of Tuesday evening on Fox News’ The Five to promote his new book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith. The book talk did not stay on the rails for long. The panel moved into the new U.S.-Iran deal, and Vance quickly ended up in a sharp exchange with co-host Jessica Tarlov. Cable news rarely misses a chance to turn one subject into three arguments, and this was no exception.
Tarlov Cites Reports, Vance Calls It Iranian Talking Points
Tarlov pointed to reporting from The Wall Street Journal and Axios and said CIA Director Ratcliffe and Rubio were skeptical of the deal. Vance pushed back and said she was making the same mistake he sees from Iranian propagandists, which is to talk about the benefits for Iran without saying what Iran would have to give up first. In his view, that leaves out the part where deals usually involve tradeoffs, a detail that often gets lost once the panel starts warming up.
Vance Says The Deal Gives Iran Nothing Unless It Complies
Vance said no American money goes to Iran under any circumstance. He said any benefits would only come if Iran makes major changes in how it deals with the world, and he used a United Arab Emirates investment example to explain how it would work. Under that setup, he said, a foreign country could invest in Iran only if Tehran has done what Washington requires. If Iran does not comply, Vance said, it gets nothing. He also said Iran’s nuclear, missile, and military programs remain destroyed, and that any upside is just extra if the agreement works as intended. That is a tidy pitch, if you happen to think the Middle East listens to tidy pitches.
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