US Iran peace deal: J D Vance contrasts Trump MoU with Obama JCPOA on nuclear limits

US Vice President J D Vance said on Thursday that President Donald Trump’s peace deal with Iran would outperform President Barack Obama’s nuclear pact. Vance said the new Memorandum of Understanding, or MoU, aimed to stop Tehran from regaining nuclear capability. Vance spoke at a press conference and compared Trump’s agreement with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.

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Vance argued the two deals started from different premises about Iran’s nuclear status. Vance said Iran already had a nuclear weapons programme when the JCPOA was agreed. Vance said the US then used American money to persuade Tehran to halt work. Vance defended the MoU signed by Trump and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Trump Iran MoU and JCPOA differences on nuclear limits

Vance said the MoU’s approach followed prior damage to Iran’s nuclear capacity. "Our perspective is we have already destroyed your nuclear programme. If you promise and show verifiable pathways to not rebuild it, then we are willing to give you some sanctions relief. So, it is a fundamentally different perspective,\" Vance said.

Vance contrasted what each text allowed on enrichment and stored material. \"The Obama nuclear deal allowed enrichment. Ours will not. The Obama deal allowed the accumulation of stockpiled weapons-grade material. Ours is actually leading to the destruction of that stockpile of enriched material,\" Vance said. Vance said Gulf Cooperation Council countries saw the Trump deal as weakening Iran.

Vance said further technical talks would proceed under the MoU agreed to Sunday. Vance said it was physically signed on Wednesday in Versailles. Vance said negotiators would use the MoU as the basis for detailed work. Vance also said the JCPOA and the MoU differed in scope and format.

Trump Iran MoU and JCPOA differences on text, timelines, and parties

A comparison highlighted the JCPOA’s length against Trump’s shorter plan. The JCPOA ran 18 pages and included annexures with technical sections. Trump’s 14-point deal was described as a guide for later bargaining. The newer document left several nuclear specifics to be settled in later sessions.

The signing of the MoU also changed regional conditions tied to shipping and conflict. The agreement ended US military operations in Iran, according to the account. It also led to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. That route carries about 20 per cent of global oil supplies.

On commitments, the JCPOA said Iran reaffirmed it would never seek nuclear weapons. Under Trump’s MoU, Iran reaffirmed that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons. The MoU noted that details were to be completed in later negotiations. Both texts were framed around preventing a nuclear weapon.

The JCPOA did not require destroying enriched uranium, but reduced the stockpile. Iran also agreed to cap enrichment at 3.67 per cent for 15 years. That was far below the 90 per cent level tied to weapons. Under Trump’s MoU, uranium handling details were deferred to a 60-day period.

The MoU said the US and Iran would decide the disposition of stockpiled enriched material. It also referenced downblending under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision. The 14-point deal did not set out final steps for Iran’s nuclear programme. Those details were to be settled over the next 60 days.

Other contrasts included timelines, sanctions, and which countries signed. The JCPOA had sunset clauses lasting between 10 and 15 years. Trump’s MoU had no sunset clauses so far. The JCPOA involved China, Russia, the UK and Germany, while Trump’s MoU was bilateral and mediated by Pakistan.

Sanctions relief also differed in structure and timing between the two texts. Under the JCPOA, sanctions were eased if Iran accepted nuclear limits. Under Trump’s MoU, nuclear sanctions were to be lifted if Iran met obligations. The MoU also granted an immediate waiver for oil and petroleum trade.

The MoU also addressed Iran’s frozen or restricted resources. The JCPOA did not include development funds. Under Trump’s MoU, the US would make fully available use of frozen or restricted funds. Access would begin upon the implementation of the MOU, according to the listed points.

With inputs from PTI