Watch: Vance holds a media briefing at the White House after Trump signed the war agreement with Iran

The U.S. Navy, as part of an agreement to end the war, has lifted its blockade of Iranian ports by allowing more than a dozen ships to pass, Vice President J.D. Vance said Thursday. Vance provided the update at a White House news conference, where he also said the largest amount of oil since the war began was now flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Vice President J.D. Vance will hold a news conference at the White House at 11 a.m. EST. Watch the live stream in our video player above.

President Donald Trump signed a deal with Iran calling for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and waive U.S.-backed sanctions on the country, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington, according to details released by both countries.

He watches: American officials reveal the main conditions of the agreement to end the Iran war

Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized NATO allies on Thursday, announcing a six-month Pentagon review of US forces in Europe whose outcome will depend on how quickly Europeans take responsibility for their security.

Vance says that the United States allows more than ten ships to pass to Iranian ports, and lifts the blockade under the agreement

Vance made the announcement Thursday at a White House news conference, where he said more oil is now flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. The Republican vice president says more than 12.5 million barrels passed through the shipping channel Wednesday night.

Vance said this was the highest since the conflict began in late February. He also said that the United States is honoring its end of the first part of the agreement on the military side.

“So we also respect the end of the first part of the agreement on the military side,” Vance said.

Vance cited it as an immediate benefit of the deal, downplaying criticism that the agreement was skewed in Iran’s favor.

Vance says 60-day negotiating clock on US-Iran deal starts ‘today’

Given the timing of the deal being signed by both sides — and the time zones involved — Vance said Thursday was the first day of the 60-day negotiating period that governs it.

Read more: What does the agreement to end the American war in Iran include, according to an American official?

The agreement calls for a permanent cessation of hostilities and begins a 60-day deadline to reach a final agreement on the future of Iran’s nuclear program, although Trump has left the door open to resume attacks.

The agreement also calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and waive US-backed sanctions on the country, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington, according to details released by the two countries.

Vance tries to clarify Trump’s comment that it’s “okay” for Iran to have ballistic missiles

The vice president tried to clarify Trump’s comments on Wednesday that it was acceptable for Iran to have ballistic missiles, a startling statement given that those missiles were initially the justification for the start of the conflict in February.

Vance said at a White House press conference that the United States had “destroyed a significant number of its own ballistic missiles” as well as Iranian “ballistic missile launchers.”

“They will not be able to build the type of missiles that could threaten the entire world on a large scale, and that is what the president of the United States said yesterday,” Vance said. “And look, I mean it’s very simple. You can’t tell any country, whether it’s Israel or Iran, that they’re not allowed to defend themselves.”

Vance says: “The Israelis will not act brutally in Lebanon.”

The US Vice President said that the agreement with Iran requires it to restrain Hezbollah and prevent it from attacking Israel, as such attacks require a response from Israel.

He said that “radical progress” had been made in Lebanon with “less shooting,” but said that with a ceasefire, “there will still be these small clashes from time to time.”

His statements came at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that Israeli forces would remain in southern Lebanon “as long as Israel’s security needs require it.”

Vance says the White House will inform Congress about the Iran agreement “very soon.”

While members of the administration have been “informally” updating members of Congress on the deal, Vance said a formal briefing would be held very soon — but he did not say when.

“We will make sure that the team briefs Congress and of course answers their questions,” he said, adding that the Capitol Hill schedule played a role in the timing.

The Senate is in session, but members of the US House of Representatives will not be in Washington this week.

Vance also said the administration feels “pretty confident” that congressional approval is not necessary to lift sanctions on Iran.

Vance defends the unwritten “gentlemen’s agreements” with Iran

He defended the existence of “gentlemen’s agreements” with Iran on how it handles its uranium stockpile and nuclear ambitions.

“Some of these agreements have been written, but fundamentally, whether they’re written or spoken, that’s why we structured the deal that we did, because we don’t trust words,” Vance said at a White House news conference. “We trust the action and we trust the behavior.”

“Words don’t matter,” the vice president added.

Vance said the goal was to verify that Iran was keeping its promise not to enrich uranium and that it would allow inspectors to “destroy this highly enriched stockpile” of uranium.

Vance: “I don’t think our public messaging was messy.”

The Vice President made this comment when asked about the contradictory messages from the administration this week about when the text of the agreement would be published and signed.

The United States kept the order secret for several days until it released it on Wednesday and Trump decided to officially sign it on Wednesday rather than leave it to the previously announced signing ceremony that Vance was supposed to attend on Friday in Switzerland.

Read more: Trump’s economic popularity hits a new low, a poll shows

Vance said the Iranians initially asked the United States to keep the text secret. He said he did not know why the request was made, but the United States agreed — until the Trump administration decided to publish it because the American people wanted to see it.

Vance says that talks on Iran in Switzerland are still ongoing, but the timing is unclear

The vice president said he intends to lead negotiations with Iran, but the ceremony scheduled for Friday appears to be up in the air.

“Our plan is to go to Switzerland, and I don’t know exactly when,” Vance said. He added that the timing partly depends on when Iranian representatives can get there.

Vance was initially expected to sign the agreement at a formal ceremony on Friday, but Trump signed it on Wednesday instead.

Vance said negotiations initiated by the agreement are expected to begin at the end of this week.

“Thank God,” says Vance, welcoming Pope Leo XIV’s response to the Iran deal

Vance said that he was “glad that the Pope had positive things to say about the memorandum of understanding,” reiterating that “we must continue to work to ensure that the Iranians respect the commitments they have made.”

This week, the Pope described the agreement as “an encouraging result of patient work in dialogue and negotiations.”

Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, visited the first American pope in the Vatican last year. The vice president discusses his transformation in his new book, released this week.

Vance warns Israeli Cabinet against criticizing Trump over Iran deal

The vice president on Thursday issued a warning against Israeli officials who criticize President Trump over the deal he reached with Iran.

During a press conference at the White House, Vance criticized members of the Israeli government in a surprise rebuke of the allied government, warning them that “Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the world who sympathizes with the nation of Israel at this moment in time.”

He said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to his credit, did not take this path” but placed the blame on members of his government.

“The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump or anyone in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is that the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation the country is going through,” Vance said.

Vance explains how new investments in Iran will work

Vance said any of the investments in Iran totaling up to $300 billion could involve “private money” from other countries in the region and “assume a shift in Iranian behavior.”

Vance said in a press conference at the White House that if the United Arab Emirates wanted to invest in “building a power plant” in Iran, US sanctions currently prohibit this deal.

“So what we are saying is that if you behave and if the Emiratis themselves want to build a power plant, we will provide the necessary sanctions relief to make that possible,” Vance said. “The good thing about that is that it creates complementarity, which is leverage.”

Vance responds to criticism of the Iran deal from his Republican colleagues

In response to a question about the criticism Trump faces from some Republicans, Vance urged them to “have a little confidence in the president of the United States.”

“The idea that he’s going to make a bad deal for the American people is preposterous,” Vance said.

Vance added that the administration must continue to explain the deal to the American people.

“I think when people understand not only the agreement, but our negotiating position as a country, they will realize this is excellent for the American people,” Vance said. “This is part of our job. We have to tell the story about what this means for Americans.”