JD Vance warns Israel over US-Iran deal criticism

US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday strongly criticized Israeli officials who have raised concerns about the Iran deal, warning them not to distance themselves from their “only powerful ally” left in the world.

JD Vance told members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet to “wake up and smell the reality,” as tensions grow between Netanyahu’s government and US President Donald Trump.

He said, “Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time, and he happens to be the head of state of the world superpower,” speaking during a White House briefing.

He also added, “If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.”

Vance praised Netanyahu for not personally criticizing the deal but pointed to the large scale of US military support to Israel, a key American ally in the Middle East.

He noted that the two countries had jointly launched the war on Iran on February 28, but said Trump has criticized Israel for continuing strikes in Lebanon, which could threaten the peace agreement with Tehran.

“Over the last three months, two-thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected your homeland have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars,” JD Vance said.

He added, “The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump — and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation.”

In an interview with the New York Times, Vance also named Israeli ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for criticizing the deal.

He said, “I guess my response to them would be — what is your exact proposal? You’re a country of nine million people. You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have.”

US President Donald Trump has also expressed concern over the rising death toll from Israeli strikes, especially in Lebanon against Hezbollah.

Speaking at the G7 summit in France, Trump said, “When two drones are shot into the desert and drop harmlessly, you don’t have to knock down buildings in Beirut. They could behave better, and frankly they could do a better job.”

He later urged all sides to respect the ceasefire, posting on Truth Social, “We expect a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”