US Official Vance Discusses Iran Nuclear Deal and Sanctions

In a series of interviews Monday, Vance also hinted at how the U.S. will attempt to ensure Iran does not develop or obtain a nuclear weapon, which Trump has long sought to prevent.

“If the Iranians are willing to give a long-term commitment — along with proper verification — to giving up that nuclear weapon, we’re willing to welcome them into the world economy to lift some sanctions and to turn over a new leaf in that relationship,” Vance said on “Good Morning America.”

Otherwise, the vice president said in a CNBC interview, the U.S. would continue to “apply the pressure that we’ve seen build up economically.”

While Vance described “technical things” that continue to be negotiated, he said the administration plans to release the full text of the memorandum of understanding “this week.”

Vance cast the release of the agreement text in contrast with what he described as “misreporting” about the contents of the deal. He denied that the deal would instantly unfreeze billions of dollars in Iranian assets and mandate the U.S. pay Iran $300 billion for reconstruction costs, details that were described in a draft deal reported by an Iranian state-run news agency.

Rather, Vance vaguely asserted in a CBS interview that Iran “will have a much better and more prosperous future if they meet the obligations they will make in this agreement.”

“People have to be skeptical of this — that the hard-liners in the Iranian system will overemphasize the benefits that Iran gets, while underemphasizing all the things that they have to concede and all the things they have to provide in order to get these benefits,” Vance continued.