Shapiro blasts Vance as Iran talks look weak

Shapiro blasts – Ben Shapiro derided Vice President JD Vance’s weekend summit work in Switzerland aimed at reaching an Iran-related deal, calling Vance “war through weakness” after Vance touted “major” progress that included Iran’s agreement to invite IAEA inspectors back. Sha

Vice President JD Vance returned from a weekend summit in Switzerland with a message of momentum. Ben Shapiro didn’t buy it.

On Monday, Shapiro used his show to go hard on Vance’s performance during talks meant to hammer out a deal with leaders from Iran and other Middle East countries. In Shapiro’s telling, Vance came across as “weak” and “humiliating” under pressure from the people he was trying to negotiate with.

Shapiro said Vance “spent the weekend looking weak” in front of the Qataris. the Pakistanis. and “most of all. the Iranians.” He added. “I’ve never seen a weaker look from a Republican politician. ” and framed the meeting as a reversal of the administration’s stated approach: “It is not peace through strength. IT is war through weakness.”.

What Shapiro argued was at stake went beyond optics. He said he understood President Donald Trump and his administration want the war to end and for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened so the price of oil goes down. He also praised Trump for what he called tough talk toward Iran over the weekend. when Trump told Fox News that if Iran’s theocratic leaders shut down the Strait. they will not have their “f*cking country” much longer.

Still, Shapiro said Vance’s behavior didn’t match Trump’s “America First” brand. He described Vance as routinely being “dunked on” by Middle Eastern leaders at the summit. and highlighted a specific image posted by Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. In the picture. Vance is shown typing on a computer while Al Thani appears to give him directions. with Jared Kushner visible in the background.

Shapiro said it was telling that Al Thani—whom Shapiro called a “cardboard cutout” for Iran—posted the photograph, but Vance did not. “Is this what ‘America First’ looks like? Seriously?” he asked.

That attack landed after Vance publicly hailed the meeting’s results. On Monday, Vance said the U.S. made “major” progress toward a lasting deal with Iran during the weekend summit.

Vance said. “This is probably what we’re most excited about as Americans. ” then pointed to Iran’s agreement to invite IAEA inspectors back into the country. He called it “a major milestone for the American people. ” and described it as “the first step in permanently denuclearizing or permanently ending a nuclear weapons program in Iran.”.

He added that the deal direction matched what the U.S. had wanted. “And that’s exactly what we wanted to do. That’s exactly what we asked to happen.”

Later, speaking to reporters, Vance said the Iranians can be “extremely confusing” when it comes to negotiating, but said “good progress” was made.

Shapiro rejected that framing. He argued Iran would likely continue to “jerk” around the U.S. because of what he characterized as a soft approach—especially considering how the U.S. “pummeled Iran during the war.”

To make his point, Shapiro compared the trip to a moment in history that still carries enormous weight: “This is like going to a meeting with the Japanese and bowing before them between Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Like, we clocked the hell out of them. What are we doing here?”

The clash between Vance’s upbeat assessment and Shapiro’s sharp condemnation left the question hanging over the weekend summit: if inspectors are back on the table and progress was made. why does Vance’s presence still look—at least to critics like Shapiro—like an American bargaining posture that isn’t getting results fast enough.

Ben Shapiro JD Vance Iran deal IAEA inspectors Switzerland summit Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani Jared Kushner Strait of Hormuz Donald Trump America First Middle East negotiations