Vance Says Funds Won’t Be Transferred to Iran in Exchange for Signing Deal to Halt War

US Vice President JD Vance speaks with the media as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, May 28, 2026. (Reuters)
US Vice President JD Vance speaks with the media as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, May 28, 2026. (Reuters)
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Vance Says Funds Won’t Be Transferred to Iran in Exchange for Signing Deal to Halt War

US Vice President JD Vance speaks with the media as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, May 28, 2026. (Reuters)
US Vice President JD Vance speaks with the media as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, May 28, 2026. (Reuters)

US Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that no funds would be released to Iran in exchange for signing an agreement to halt the war and open the Strait of Hormuz and that text of the framework deal would be shared this week.

In an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" program, Vance said signing the memorandum of understanding with Iran, expected to take place in Switzerland on Friday, would not trigger the release of frozen assets.

Vance said the agreement was already signed digitally on Sunday and no funds were released.

"There's been no money released, and that won't change," ‌he said.

Vance said ‌Iran would receive money only if it took verified steps ‌to ⁠eliminate its stockpile ⁠of highly enriched uranium.

"If we see the Iranians making, for example, taking action to eliminate their stockpile of enriched material, then yes, sanctions relief will follow. If we see the Iranians taking action to allow the kind of verification regime that we need to see to know that they're not going to build a nuclear weapon, yes, sanctions relief will follow," he said.

"If they don't ⁠do the right things, if they don't allow the verification ‌regime, they're never going to have ‌the money to rebuild their nuclear program to begin with."

In an interview on CNBC on ‌Monday, Vance also said the United States expects the economically vital waterway ‌would be open without tolls.

"Our expectation is that the Strait is going to be opened in a toll-free way for the long-term," he said.

"That's the sort of thing that we're going to figure out in these technical negotiations. You know that there ‌are a lot of very important details to figure out that we're actually going to sit at the table ⁠and discuss together ⁠and figure out a path forward."

The US and Iran said they had agreed terms to end their war and reopen the strait, news that brought relief to markets, although the pact may hinge on an end to hostilities in Lebanon and defers talks on Tehran's nuclear program.

While still a framework, the deal marked the biggest breakthrough toward resolving the conflict that has killed thousands and upended energy markets since it began with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

Vance told CNBC that Iran's foreign minister and House speaker will represent Iran at the signing in Switzerland on Friday and many details of the deal are still to be sorted out. He did not say who would represent the US at the signing.



EU Aviation Agency Tells Operators to Avoid Iran, Iraq and Lebanon Airspaces Until August 31

Motorbikes and cars pass through an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, May 17, 2026. (AP)
Motorbikes and cars pass through an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, May 17, 2026. (AP)
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EU Aviation Agency Tells Operators to Avoid Iran, Iraq and Lebanon Airspaces Until August 31

Motorbikes and cars pass through an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, May 17, 2026. (AP)
Motorbikes and cars pass through an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, May 17, 2026. (AP)

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said on Wednesday that airlines should not operate within the airspace of Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon, amid ongoing tensions and the potential for further military action, as the US and Iran exchanged fresh attacks.

The EASA said its bulletin for the airspaces of ‌Iran, Iraq ‌and Lebanon was valid until ‌August ⁠31.

The ‌agency's latest advisory comes after Iran's Revolutionary Guards ‌said they targeted US military sites ‌in Bahrain and Kuwait on Wednesday.

Those attacks followed a wave of US military strikes on Iran after tankers were hit in the Strait ‌of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump had said on Monday that the US ⁠would either ⁠reach a deal with Iran or "finish the job," renewing his threat of military action.

EASA said the implementation of the US-Iran ceasefire remained fragile, and its advisory decision was based on "ongoing high level of tensions and the potential for further military action."

The European agency also added that should the existing truce break down, Iranian airspace was likely to be exposed to "imminent threats".


New Attacks Complicate Talks to End Iran War, EU’s Kallas Says

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas arrives at the NATO Defense Industry Forum in Ankara, Türkiye , 07 July 2026. (EPA)
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas arrives at the NATO Defense Industry Forum in Ankara, Türkiye , 07 July 2026. (EPA)
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New Attacks Complicate Talks to End Iran War, EU’s Kallas Says

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas arrives at the NATO Defense Industry Forum in Ankara, Türkiye , 07 July 2026. (EPA)
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas arrives at the NATO Defense Industry Forum in Ankara, Türkiye , 07 July 2026. (EPA)

The new attacks by Iran and the United States in the Middle East have complicated talks to end the war, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday.

"The exchanges of ‌fire between ‌the US and ‌Iran ⁠further complicate already fraught ⁠talks to end the war. Iran's attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait are unacceptable," Kallas said in a post on ⁠X.

"Next Monday, EU Foreign ‌Ministers ‌will meet with their ‌Gulf counterparts to discuss how ‌we can work together to support the implementation of the agreement and preserve freedom ‌of navigation in the Strait as well as ⁠the ⁠Red Sea."

The US military unleashed a new wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday and revoked a license allowing Iran to sell oil after three tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump said an interim agreement to end the ‌war with ‌Iran was "over" on Wednesday after ‌Tehran ⁠carried out new attacks.

Asked before a NATO summit in Türkiye ⁠whether the ⁠memorandum of understanding reached last month was over, Trump said: "It's a very interesting question. To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them."⁠


New US Attacks on Iran Were Absolutely Necessary, NATO Chief Says

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks upon arrival at the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, 08 July 2026. (EPA)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks upon arrival at the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, 08 July 2026. (EPA)
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New US Attacks on Iran Were Absolutely Necessary, NATO Chief Says

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks upon arrival at the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, 08 July 2026. (EPA)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks upon arrival at the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, 08 July 2026. (EPA)

The new attacks by the US on Iran were "absolutely necessary," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday.

The US military unleashed a new wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday and revoked a license allowing Tehran to sell oil after three tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait ‌of Hormuz, putting pressure ‌on an already fragile ‌ceasefire.

"When ⁠you have a ⁠ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully react," Rutte told reporters before a summit of NATO leaders in Ankara.

At their summit, European ⁠leaders aim to convince Donald Trump ‌to re-commit ‌to the military alliance, after the US president revived ‌his disputes with them over the ‌Iran war and Greenland.

Rutte said there could be no doubt over the "complete commitment of the United States to NATO," which he said ‌also works to protect the United States.

"But there's also the expectation ⁠that ⁠the Europeans and the Canadians will equalize their spending with the United States, which I think is completely fair," he added.

"The good news is that this is the big win today. It's the loss for Putin, it is a win for President Trump that the Europeans and the Canadians are doing exactly that."