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Trump says US no longer needs Iran deal, redirects Vance

Summarised from 10 outlets · 12 reports · Updated 14 Nov, 16:13 · Archive

President Trump said the US no longer needs a deal with Iran and ordered Vice President JD Vance to focus on investigating corruption in Democratic-led states instead.

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the United States no longer needs a deal with Iran and redirected Vice President JD Vance away from diplomatic efforts toward domestic concerns.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that the US should stop seeking an agreement with Tehran. 'We don't need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed. We've got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we've got their Strait,' Trump wrote, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping chokepoint.

Vance had spent recent months leading US diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict that began in February when the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Vance had been considering face-to-face talks with senior Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei. In June, Vance helped negotiate a 14-point memorandum of understanding that opened a 60-day window for negotiations, though that window passed without producing a final deal.

Trump ordered Vance to focus his 'complete and total attention' on what he called 'Massive Corruption and Crime' in Democratic-run cities and states. Trump specifically named Minnesota, California and Illinois as examples of states he claims are 'poorly run, corrupt disasters', alleging that 'billions of Dollars is being stolen each and every month' through benefit fraud. Vance already leads the White House's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, established through an executive order in March aimed at tackling fraud in federally funded benefit programmes.

The timing of Trump's announcement reflects tensions within the administration over the unpopular Iran war. Just days earlier, Vance had publicly broken with Trump over the war's political toll, writing on X that the Republican Party's midterm losses were directly caused by the conflict and its effects on the cost of living. The midterm election results cost Republicans control of Congress.

The war, which Trump said would be won in weeks, is now in its ninth month with no clear end in sight. Iran closed access to the Strait of Hormuz in response to the initial US and Israeli strikes, causing a steep increase in global fuel prices. The conflict region's impact on energy prices has exacerbated inflation and affordability concerns that voters identified as paramount in the midterms.

An administration official defended Trump's strategy to Fox News, saying the US maintains a strong position through its naval blockade and economic pressure on Iran. 'The United States is in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian economy collapsing,' the official said, adding that Trump 'holds all the cards'.

However, the Guardian reported that the announcement 'effectively normalises a stalemate with Iran', as the US has maintained its blockade on Iranian ports and mostly reopened the strait to marine traffic, including crude oil shipments, while neither side has conducted major military operations for several months. The i Paper noted that Trump's decision to sideline Vance from Iran diplomacy constituted an admission of failure, as the conflict remains unresolved despite initial declarations of victory.

Trump says US no longer needs Iran deal, redirects Vance
Image: Fox News

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In this story: Donald Trump · JD Vance · Iran · United States · Israel · Minnesota · California · Illinois

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log