US Vice-President JD Vance has publicly accused elements of the Israeli government of orchestrating a "well-funded" campaign to manipulate American public opinion and sabotage diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing war with Iran. Speaking in an interview published Wednesday on The Joe Rogan Experience, a widely followed US conservative podcast, Vance said he has "exact evidence" that certain Israeli leaders "hate the deal" reached last month between Washington and Tehran, and are working to keep the conflict going "indefinitely."

The agreement in question, known as a memorandum of understanding (MOU), was signed in Switzerland in June — with Vance himself attending as a key negotiator. It established a framework for formal negotiations, included a now-abandoned 60-day ceasefire, and contained conditions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping chokepoint in the Persian Gulf. Critics of the deal, including senior Israeli officials speaking anonymously, have argued it fails to adequately address Iran's ballistic missile programme or provide a clear path to dismantling its nuclear facilities. Tensions over the Strait have since resumed, and US strikes on Iran have intensified while Tehran has targeted American allies in the region. The fighting has also spread to Lebanon, where Israeli forces remain deployed in a self-declared security zone extending nearly ten kilometres inside Lebanese territory.

Vance was careful to draw a distinction between foreign governments lobbying Washington — which he said he broadly accepts as normal — and American leaders allowing such influence to distort their own judgement. "I don't mind Israel trying to do that, frankly I don't even mind if Russia or some of these other countries do it," he said. "What bothers me is when these influence campaigns actually affect American political judgement." When asked directly whether he believed the US would have entered the most recent conflict with Iran without Israeli influence, Vance answered: "Yes, I do."

The White House stopped short of distancing itself from Vance's remarks. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that President Trump "would certainly agree that foreign countries do try to persuade American public opinion." The Israeli Prime Minister's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment, though Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz separately told his US counterpart Pete Hegseth on Thursday that Israel intends to maintain forces in security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, citing the need to protect border communities from jihadist threats.

The remarks represent the latest in a series of pointed public criticisms Vance has directed at Israel as the Trump administration pursues a dual-track strategy of diplomacy and military pressure with Iran. In June, he warned Israeli critics of the MOU not to alienate "the only powerful ally" they have left. Domestically, the broader political picture is shifting too: the House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected a measure to cut billions in US military aid to Israel, but 104 members voted in favour — including several Democrats — signalling a meaningful, if still minority, break from unconditional support for the country within the party.