President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States no longer needs an agreement with Iran and directed Vice President JD Vance to focus instead on alleged corruption and crime in Democratic-led U.S. cities and states.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Vance should devote his “complete and total attention” to what he described as large-scale criminal activity in Democratic-run jurisdictions.
“We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed,” Trump wrote, adding that the United States had Iran’s money and “their Strait,” an apparent reference to the Strait of Hormuz.
The directive marks a shift in Vance’s recent role in efforts to resolve the U.S.-Iran conflict.
Reuters reported that Vance had been involved in seeking a settlement and on Wednesday publicly questioned the costs of the war after Republicans suffered major losses in the midterm elections.
Vance said an earlier recommendation to end the conflict had been “sound advice.”
The change also follows a sharp turn in Trump’s own public language on Iran.
On Nov. 9, the White House published remarks in which Trump said the war was “militarily effectively over” and expressed hope that Washington could reach an agreement with Tehran.
Three days later, he said no agreement was needed.
The shift is particularly notable because the White House announced on June 19 that the United States and Iran had signed a memorandum of understanding after months of conflict.
The administration said at the time that the agreement addressed Iran’s nuclear program and reopened the Strait of Hormuz to navigation.
Trump’s Thursday post also recast Vance’s domestic priorities around fraud and corruption.
The president cited Minnesota, California and Illinois and alleged that billions of dollars were being stolen each month.
The posts cited by Reuters and CNBC did not provide evidence supporting that figure.
Trump has repeatedly targeted Democratic-led jurisdictions over immigration policies, crime and alleged corruption since returning to the White House in January 2025.
His latest directive places those domestic allegations at the center of Vance’s portfolio while publicly stepping back from the vice president’s recent diplomatic efforts with Iran.