The White House criticizes the media for citing Iran's state media on the nuclear deal
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INTERMEDIATE: The White House criticized the “mainstream media” citing Iranian state media reports that Tehran has no intention of honoring the nuclear test obligations that Vice President JD Vance agreed to.
Iran has agreed to “step up” inspections of its nuclear sites following peace talks in Switzerland, according to a US official. A White House official spoke to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, calling the discovery of widespread reports from mainstream news outlets “propaganda from the Iranian government.”
“With the relentless berating we hear from the mainstream media about their 'journalistic ethics' and 'integrity of reporting,' you would think they would view false information coming out of Iran's state media with a high degree of skepticism,” a White House official told Fox News Digital.
The administration's memorandum of understanding with Tehran revealed divisions among Republicans over what constitutes victory after a military campaign against Iran. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“Instead, the American media spent the entire duration of this negotiation process spouting strong propaganda from the Iranian government,” the official said. “The President and Vice President of the United States, along with the rest of America's negotiating team, are working around the clock to get the most out of the American people, and the updates they've given on this process have been true.”
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Critics cited Iranian media reports that the nuclear test would not be respected, even though Vance and the White House said the terms of the deal included provision.
“Despite their protests and false statements to the contrary, accompanied by the drumbeat of Fake News, which does everything possible to make the victory of the US as small and insignificant as possible, Iran has fully and completely agreed to a Nuclear test of the highest level in the future (Infinity!!!),” said President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post.
Vice President JD Vance speaks to members of the media after the US and Iran held high-level talks aimed at advancing an agreement to end the Middle East conflict at the Lake Lucerne Summit, near Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, June 22, 2026. (Nathan Howard / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
A source familiar with the talks expressed frustration to Fox News Digital about the propensity of experts speaking out against the deal to use talking points from Iranians and state media, misrepresenting the dialogue and reporting indirect support for the Iranian regime.
US OFFICIAL SAYS JD VANCE HAS MADE 'SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS' IN IRAN TALKS, CALLS SNUB REPORT 'INTERNATIONAL PROPAGANDA'
Several reports from mainstream outlets this week revealed details about Vance allegedly being seized by the Qataris after Qatar's prime minister and spokesman for the talks, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, passed by Vance and warmly greeted Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instead.
In an interview Monday with Qatar-sponsored media outlet Al Jazeera, Al Thani denied denying Vance, saying he had just spent hours with Vance and had not yet greeted Sharif. He blamed the media for talking badly about the meeting. “And they just made the issue very big,” he said.
The American delegation, including Steve Witkoff, JD Vance and Jared Kushner, arrived in Switzerland. (Nathan Howard/Pool/REUTERS)
A US official told Fox News Digital that the US delegation had already met with Qatari officials for hours, eliminating the need for a greeting. The official added that the joint speech of the leaders before the meeting was organized in an indirect way rather than from the public.
IRAN'S PRESIDENT SEEKS COMMUNICATION AND COMMUNICATION AS NUCLEAR TALKS CONTINUE
Other reports also said the Iranians walked away from the negotiating table while Vance and the White House team were in Switzerland. These reports mostly cited Iranian state media as the source.
Vance said there were threats to pull out, but he denied reports and allegations that the Iranians were walking away from the table when he spoke to the media on Tuesday.
“They didn't come out, and their technical team is still here in Bürgenstock, working with our technical team,” Vance said. “When they make threats that are not based on reality, they have to accept that the President of the United States is actually going to set the record straight. That's all that happened. So, yes, there was a little threat, there was a little grumbling, but at the end of the day, the talks continued, and we made a lot of progress.”
Vice President JD Vance said the Iranians have agreed to allow nuclear inspectors to return to their country. (Photo by Spencer Platt/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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In a press conference on Tuesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will never negotiate its missile defense capabilities with any nation and said Iran believes “regional peace and stability can only be achieved through honest dialogue and inter-regional cooperation.”
President Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he expects the nuclear test to happen “at the right time.”
