Mike Pence said President Donald Trump’s Iran memorandum falls short of what is needed to end the Iranian threat, sharpening GOP scrutiny of the deal.
Former Vice President Mike Pence criticized President Donald Trump’s newly signed Iran memorandum, saying it falls short of the pressure campaign Trump championed during his first term and does not yet secure enough from Tehran.
In comments published in a Wall Street Journal piece and reported by Fox News Digital, Pence said the memorandum “smacks of the kind of appeasement” Trump once rejected and described it as “a plan to make a plan.” The criticism is notable because it comes from Trump’s former vice president, who praised Trump’s use of force and pressure against Iran while arguing that the current agreement leaves core threats unresolved.
Pence said Trump “deserves tremendous credit for taking the fight directly to Tehran” and added that Americans should welcome the possibility of peace. But he argued the memorandum “falls well short of what is required to end the Iranian threat.”
The former vice president said the next 60 days should be used to secure tougher commitments from Iran, including an end to its nuclear ambitions, an end to Iranian-backed terrorism and an end to what he called decades of conflict against the United States and Israel. Pence also said the United States should operate on a principle of “verify and never trust” in negotiations with Iranian leaders.
His remarks come as the administration continues diplomacy over Iran after the memorandum was signed last week. Pence argued that Iran came to the table because U.S. military strength, a blockade and maximum pressure had placed the regime under severe strain.
Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to the White House for comment. The immediate next test for the agreement will be whether the administration can turn the memorandum into enforceable terms that satisfy critics who say the United States should demand more before easing pressure on Tehran.
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