Fox News host Brian Kilmeade has called on President Donald Trump to remove Vice President JD Vance from the administration’s high-stakes Iran negotiations.
It comes after Trump announced last week that Washington and Tehran had signed a memorandum of understanding to end the fighting after months of stalled negotiations.
Under the framework, fighting would pause for two months while Iran regains access to frozen assets, receives sanctions relief, and benefits from a $300 billion fund for the country’s “reconstruction and economic development.”
But critics say the deal gives Iran significant concessions while delivering few immediate guarantees in return.
Talks are continuing between the two countries towards a permanent deal, with Vice President Vance arriving in Switzerland on Sunday for talks with Iran.
As he left Switzerland on Monday, Vance said a “very good foundation” had been laid for a “successful final deal.”
“The final deal is the house. We set the foundation. We haven’t built the house, but we’ve laid a successful foundation to get to a good place for the American people,” he said.
But Fox & Friends contributor Lawrence Jones said Trump had told him over the weekend that he was infuriated by negotiations with the Iranians.
“Many of the things that the Iranians are doing and suggesting are infuriating the president and he’s saying if they want to do this, then I got to strike ‘em. I got to strike ‘em. So I’m not sure this document means anything,” he said.
Kilmeade, who is close to Fox Corporation’s Rupert Murdoch, went on to question why Vance remains at the center of the talks if Trump is genuinely dissatisfied with the direction of the negotiations, and suggested that Trump should fire Vance from the talks.
“JD Vance put this document together and they’re negotiating the thing and the president’s on the outside, the president’s got to go on the inside,” he said.
“The negotiators are wasting their time,” he added. “No one’s happy with this document. The President doesn’t seem to be happy. So why are the people that created the document negotiating the deal?”
Kilmeade’s comments are often in lock-step with Murdoch’s.
The Fox host directed his frustrations at Vance. “The fact that he hopped on Friday and started ripping Israel and said they have no friends—that is ridiculous!” Kilmeade said, referencing remarks last week where the vice president lashed out at Israeli cabinet members for criticizing Trump’s Iran deal.
Some members of Israel’s Cabinet blasted the agreement for leaving Iran’s missile program largely untouched and offering no clear mechanism for dismantling its nuclear infrastructure, while reports suggested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was furious over the deal.
But in response, Vance told Israeli officials: “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.
“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.”
Kilmeade slammed Vance for his comments.
“Have you heard of the Abraham Accords? Do you understand that the Gulf States are tighter with Israel than ever before?” he said.
“I think JD Vance, who’s late to this party, doesn’t understand the depth of the disagreement,” Kilmeade continued.
The Daily Beast has contacted the vice president’s office for comment.
Vance, who has no prior experience in diplomacy, has, on a number of occasions, appeared unsure of what Trump’s Iran deal actually contains.
Before the deal was formally unveiled, the vice president told NBC News that provisions requiring Iran to eliminate its stockpile of enriched uranium were “spelled out very clearly.”
However, no such requirement appears in the memorandum of understanding, and Vance continued making the claim even after it was discredited.
The discrepancy is significant because one of Trump’s stated objectives throughout the conflict was dismantling Iran’s nuclear program. The agreement stops short of that goal, instead requiring Tehran to reaffirm that it will not pursue a nuclear weapon while leaving questions surrounding its existing enriched uranium stockpile for future negotiations.
In return, Iran agreed to ensure the safe passage of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global trade route that has been largely disrupted since the war began.
The vice president also seemed to diverge from Trump’s claims about the deal’s economic provisions.
While the president denied that Iran would gain access to a $300 billion reconstruction fund, Vance told CBS News that Tehran could ultimately benefit from such assistance. “Well, Ed, that’s the sort of thing they could have access to, funded by the Gulf Coast Coalition, so long as they honor their end of the obligation,” he said.
Meanwhile, during a Fox News interview last week before the White House released the framework, Vance was asked why the administration had not made the document public. He replied that there was “some diplomatic procedure,” though he acknowledged, “I don’t understand it.”
Days later, ahead of a trip to Switzerland, Vance was again asked about his role alongside other administration negotiators, including Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. “I’ve got to be honest with you, I don’t really understand these things,” he said. “I’ve never been particularly into diplomatic protocols.”
