Vice President J.D. Vance responded Thursday to criticism from Israel over the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, defending the administration’s diplomatic approach while signaling that military action alone cannot solve every regional challenge.

The memorandum, electronically signed on Sunday, establishes that the United States and Iran will negotiate the nuclear portion of the agreement over the next 60 days. Reports indicated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was frustrated with the direction of the negotiations.

During a long-form interview with The New York Times centered on Vance’s latest book, “Communion,” which chronicles his journey to Catholicism, the vice president was asked directly about Israeli concerns surrounding the agreement.

Vance’s message reflected the administration’s broader argument that strength and diplomacy are not mutually exclusive and that successful foreign policy requires more than relying exclusively on military pressure.

The vice president argued that long-term stability demands strategic thinking and that even close allies must recognize political realities and evolving regional dynamics. Supporters of the administration see this as consistent with President Donald Trump’s approach: negotiate from strength, preserve leverage, and avoid endless cycles that fail to produce lasting outcomes. Turns out foreign policy may involve more than repeating the same strategy and expecting a different result.

The exchange also underscored the administration’s position that maintaining strong alliances does not eliminate difficult conversations when American leadership believes another path may better serve long-term interests.

As negotiations continue, Trump allies maintain that combining deterrence, diplomacy, and strategic pressure remains the strongest formula for protecting security while pursuing durable agreements.