US Vice President JD Vance warned Israeli critics of the Iran deal Thursday not to alienate the United States, calling it Israel’s only powerful remaining ally.
Vance made the remarks during a White House briefing amid growing tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and US President Donald Trump over the Iran deal.
“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,” Vance told reporters. He added that Israeli cabinet members should not attack their most powerful ally.
Vance credited Netanyahu for not personally criticising the deal. However, he pointed to US military support for Israel and said two-thirds of the defensive weapons that protected Israel over the past three months were built and paid for by the United States.
🚨 WOW! JD Vance is DIRECTLY calling out Israeli cabinet members for their personal attacks on President Trump
"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… pic.twitter.com/0H9yGH8ubL
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 18, 2026The United States and Israel jointly launched the war on Iran on February 28. Trump has since criticised Israel for continued attacks on Lebanon that risked derailing the deal with Tehran.
In a New York Times interview published Thursday, Vance named Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as critics of the agreement. He questioned what alternative plan they were proposing.
Read: US Media Lambasts Trump Over Iran Concessions in New Agreement
Trump also criticised the scale of Israeli attacks, particularly strikes linked to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Speaking at the G7 summit in France on Wednesday, he said Israel did not need to “knock down buildings in Beirut” after drones fell harmlessly in the desert.
Trump later urged Israel and other Middle Eastern countries to maintain the truce. In a Truth Social post on Thursday, he called for a complete ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel.
