'I like that idea, sure': Trump reveals who he will blame if the deal with Iran doesn't go well

While the deal with Iran is to be formally signed by both sides in Switzerland, later this week, President Donald Trump has already found a scapegoat to blame if things don't go well. Speaking to reporters at the Group of Seven (G7) press conference in Évian-les-Bains, France, a journalist asked if the president would be at the signing of the deal or if Vice President J.D. Vance would be sent. While Trump appeared unsure about his presence, he jokingly said sending Vance was a good idea because he could take the blame if the preliminary deal fell through. 

At the press conference, Fox News' Peter Doocy asked the President if he would fly to the formal deal-signing event in Switzerland on Friday, or if he would send Vance. Trump said he might, but he wasn't sure it was "the kind of document" that he should be signing. "Is there some element to this where you send the vice president, if it works out, great, you look like a genius for sending him. And if it doesn't work out, it's the vice president," Doocy asked. Trump promptly answered the question, saying, "I like that idea, sure." He went on to add, "If it works out, I'm going to take the credit. If it doesn't work out, I'm blaming JD. You better be careful, JD. He's going to turn his plane around and get the hell out of here," the President joked.

While those were the last remarks from Trump at the press event, throughout the conference, he tried to temper the expectations over the durability of the preliminary agreement with Iran and repeatedly suggested that the U.S. would be open to resuming the military operations if Iran's leadership does not honor the agreement. "If they don't honor the agreement, or some things aren't even mentioned in the agreement, it's a memorandum of understanding, but we have an understanding of certain things without writing it," Trump told reporters, as per The Hill. "If they don't honor that, we'll probably go back to bombing them until they honor it," he continued, adding that bombs can do "amazing things." 

Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. officials said details of the agreement would be publicly released later this week, after the 14-point MoU was read out to the public. Despite the lack of clarity, the deal has faced bipartisan criticism over some of the provisions that indicate Tehran has emerged in a stronger position following the negotiations. According to copies of the agreement obtained by CNN and Bloomberg, the deal would provide Iran with access to at least a $300 billion reconstruction and development fund if it meets commitments to scale back its nuclear program. 

Further in the deal, Iran has committed to not procure or develop a nuclear weapon, but the details of how its nuclear program and the enriched uranium will be handled are to be discussed in the 60 days after the initial signing. While Trump said the U.S. does not have plans to directly invest in Iran, he hasn't ruled out the idea of other countries and entities doing so, per CNN.