Former Vice President Mike Pence is warning that reported U.S. concessions to Iran, in an agreement first announced by President Donald Trump, are "much bigger than a mistake," arguing that they risk being a "lifeline" for Tehran.

Speaking with CNN's Kaitlan Collins on Tuesday night, Pence praised Trump's decision to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, calling it a historic move that made America safer and marked the first time in decades that a U.S. president had directly confronted Iran's ruling regime.

Pence also warned that the reported details on the memorandum of understanding "smacks of appeasement" and that Trump should "stand firm" against Iran and that this is not a moment to pull back.

Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Tuesday night for comment.

What To Know

Pence said the Trump administration was right to first pursue diplomacy after the strikes.

When asked by Collins is he thinks the reported agreement is a mistake by the Trump administration, Pence replied, "Well, it's much bigger than a mistake."

"I mean, when the president took that historic step, to strike those nuclear facilities last year. This is the first time in 47 years that an American president had taken the fight directly to the mullahs in Tehran, and America was safer as a result," Pence continued. "And the fact that he tried diplomacy for the following year to begin to make progress and then finally recognized that we just got to take the fight to them, launched Operation Epic Fury, our military responded brilliantly. But in this moment, the posture that we're getting from the Iranians, but my concern is what appears to be leaking out, these immediate concessions, particularly sanctions, waivers right out of the gate that would essentially be a lifeline to the Iranian regime, I think is ill-advised. We ought to keep the pressure on, keep the blockade on, and if need be, let our armed forces get back to work."

His comments reflect broader concerns among Iran deal critics who fear the agreement could strengthen the regime without adequately addressing its nuclear activities.

"If I was still at his side, I would urge him to go back to his first instincts when it comes to Iran. And that is peace through strength. I don't know how we're going to have greater leverage over what remains of that terrorist regime in Iran after we go into another 60 days or more of a ceasefire and negotiations. Now is the moment to stand firm, and quite frankly if Iran is not convinced that they are defeated and need to come to the table and yield on those points, then we ought to allow the armed forces of the United States and our ally Israel to convince them," Pence added while speaking to Collins.

What We Know About the Reported Deal

According to a draft 14-point memorandum seen by Bloomberg News, the United States and Iran would commit to an immediate and permanent end to hostilities while launching a 60-day negotiating process aimed at reaching a final agreement.

The reported draft calls for the United States to lift its naval blockade of Iran, issue sanctions waivers for Iranian oil and petrochemical exports, and work with regional partners on a rehabilitation and economic development plan "while ensuring financing of at least $300 billion," Bloomberg reports. Notably, there have been conflicting reports regarding a reported $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran.

Vice President JD Vance said while speaking with Fox News in part on Tuesday that "not a single cent of American money under any circumstance, no matter what the Iranians do, goes to Iran, not a single cent of American money."

The reported draft memorandum also envisions the eventual removal of U.S., United Nations Security Council and International Atomic Energy Agency-related sanctions, per Bloomberg, under a timetable to be negotiated as part of a final accord.

In exchange, Iran would reaffirm that it will never produce nuclear weapons and agree to address the future of its enriched nuclear material and other outstanding nuclear issues in a final agreement, Bloomberg also reports.

The draft would maintain the current status quo on Iran's nuclear program during the talks, according to the outlet.

The U.S. and Iran recently reached a preliminary agreement aimed at ending months of war in the Middle East, Trump said on Sunday.

In a post to Truth Social on Monday, he said, "Ships are starting to move, many loaded up with Oil, out of the Strait of Hormuz. They are going along the Southern 'Highway,' which is totally safe, secure, and pristine. There are other areas of travel, also!!! President DJT."

In another post on Monday, he said that Iran agreed to never have a nuclear weapon. "Iran has agreed to never have a Nuclear Weapon! Also, the story that the U.S. is paying Iran 300 million [sic] Dollars is Fake News, put out by the Dumocrats!!! President DJT."

Rajan Menon, professor emeritus of International Relations at the City College of New York, told Newsweek on Monday in part: "On Iran’s pledge not to build nuclear weapons: The White House is touting this as a major achievement of the prospective deal with Iran. It is not. This has been Iran’s position at least since the late Ayatollah and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued an edict prohibiting nuclear weapons more than twenty years ago. Moreover, in the preamble of the 2015 JCPOA, signed during Obama’s presidency, Iran renounced nuclear weapons. So it’s inaccurate to present Iran’s renunciation of nuclear weapons in the Memorandum of Understanding as a major breakthrough."

In Trump's announcement of the deal, he said that he authorized the "toll free opening" of the Strait of Hormuz and removal of the U.S. naval blockade.