JD Vance Spreads 3 Big Lies About Iran’s Nuclear Program Under Deal

Vice President JD Vance told three massive lies while defending the recently signed memorandum of understanding with Iran, which includes what many see as multiple U.S. capitulations on key points of contention.

Vance took the podium in Washington, D.C., Thursday afternoon to make his case.

“The nuclear weapons program is destroyed. It is gone. If the Iranians decided tomorrow to build a nuclear weapon, they simply don’t have the capacity in order to do that,” Vance said. “What we’re trying to ensure is they don’t rebuild that capacity—not just a year from now, two years from now, but many many years from now.”

JD Vance: "The nuclear weapons program is destroyed. it is gone."

(Bookmark this one!) pic.twitter.com/T9vSdVBbeo— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 18, 2026

This is lie number one. Although President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have claimed to have completely destroyed Iran’s nuclear program multiple times, U.S. intelligence reveals that there was limited damage during the course of the war. In fact, the time Iran would need to build a nuclear weapon has not changed since last summer. (Iran has long maintained that it is not seeking a nuclear weapon through its program.)

Vance also claimed that Iran has committed to destroying their enriched uranium stockpile and to cease enrichment—two more lies that aren’t even mentioned in the recently signed memorandum of understanding. In fact, Iran has never promised not to enrich throughout their entire nuclear history.

“Under this deal [Iran is] being allowed now to sell their oil freely. How is that not a financial benefit?” a reporter asked Vance. “And they’re being allowed to do that without making any new concrete nuclear commitments. So can you explain, how is that not lopsided?”

“They’ve made very concrete nuclear commitments—they’ve committed to the destruction of the highly enriched stockpile that they have in their possession,” Vance replied.

But that’s not what’s in the MOU. The final text says that Iran will use “minimum methodology” to gradually down-blend their stockpile. That is not the same as “the destruction of the highly enriched stockpile,” as Vance said. All other references to the uranium in the MOU remain vague, as both sides have agreed to revisit the issue at the end of a 60-day negotiating period.

The administration trotted out Vance to lie about how great his paltry deal he made with Iran was, and even he struggled to push the narrative effectively. The next 60 days will be a huge indicator of Vance’s actual negotiating abilities. As of right now, it’s not looking good.

Q: They are being allowed to sell oil without making concrete nuclear commitments. How is that not lopsided?

JD VANCE: They've made very concrete nuclear commitments. They have committed to the destruction of their highly enriched stockpile. pic.twitter.com/vsJ3ZVeAt9— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 18, 2026