Ben Shapiro Under Fire For Attack On JD Vance

Ben Shapiro is taking heat after sharply criticizing Vice President JD Vance over the Trump administration’s Iran memorandum of understanding, calling the agreement a “disaster” and accusing Vance of failing to serve President Donald Trump well in the negotiations.

The Daily Wire editor-in-chief made the comments during an appearance with Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum, who asked for his reaction to the MOU and Trump’s remarks about the deal.

Shapiro began by praising Trump’s military posture toward Iran, saying the president showed extraordinary courage by striking the regime’s nuclear and military infrastructure.

“Well, I’ve said many times, the president deciding to go into Iran and to hit nuclear facilities in Operation Midnight Hammer and then to go after Iran’s ballistic missile facilities and nuclear facilities, army, navy, and air force in this current operation was the signal act of political bravery perhaps of my lifetime.

But Shapiro quickly pivoted, arguing that the draft agreement falls far short of the goals the administration set at the beginning of the Iran push.

“With that said this MOU appears to be, just from the text, a disaster that does not achieve any of the actual signal goals that were set by the administration at the beginning. There were effectively five goals that were set by the administration at the beginning, one was ending the nuclear program, not just nuclear weapons, no nuclear enrichment. Zero enrichment. That is not in the deal.

Shapiro said the agreement does not end Iran’s ballistic missile program, does not meaningfully address Tehran’s support for terrorism and does not permanently guarantee free passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Ballistic missiles ended, that is not in the deal and the president today suggested that ballistic missiles should actually continue to be held by the Iranians because the Saudis, our allies, also hold ballistic missiles. Then you have the support of terrorism, that is not part of the deal, anything that looks like an attempt to end terrorism.

He also warned that the agreement appears to leave room for Iran and Oman to impose tolls in the Strait of Hormuz after 60 days, while giving Tehran oil-shipping relief immediately.

“A permanent opening of the Strait of Hormuz toll free, not only is that not in the deal, the deal appears to have a provision allowing Iran and Oman to attempt to toll the straits after 60 days and then finally the idea that Iran would receive some sort of sanctions relief after all of those things happened. We are already seeing from day one relief in their ability to ship oil out of Iran. In my opinion, the vice president of the United States, the chief negotiator on this particular project, has not well served the president.

The final line quickly became the flashpoint.

Shapiro’s criticism was aimed squarely at Vance, who has been described as the chief negotiator on the Iran project.

“In my opinion, the Vice President of the United States, the chief negotiator on this particular project, has not well served the president”

RELATED: JUST IN: US, Iran Formally Sign Memorandum Of Understanding

The remarks sparked pushback from JD Vance allies and Trump supporters who viewed the criticism as an unnecessary public attack on the vice president at a sensitive moment for the administration’s foreign policy agenda.

Shapiro’s broader argument was that Trump took a hard-line, high-risk approach against Iran militarily, only for the MOU to soften the result at the negotiating table.

RELATED: Trump Sends Ominous Message To Iran At G7

His criticism lands as conservatives debate whether the agreement strengthens Donald Trump’s hand in the Middle East or gives Tehran too much breathing room after U.S. pressure.

For Vance’s defenders, the attack was a high-profile shot at one of Trump’s closest governing partners just as the administration is trying to sell the agreement as a major diplomatic win.

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