Maher swipes at Trump over Iran MOU: ‘What happened to the art of the deal?’

In The Know Maher swipes at Trump over Iran MOU: ‘What happened to the art of the deal?’ Comments: by Sarah Davis - 06/20/26 2:00 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Sarah Davis - 06/20/26 2:00 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Late-night host Bill Maher slammed President Trump over his administration’s negotiations with Iran, just days after U.S. officials signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Middle East country.

“Where is the big deal maker? What happened to the art of the deal?” Maher asked during his opening monologue on Friday evening, referencing the title of Trump’s 1987 book.

The signing of the 14-point MOU initiated a 60-day negotiation period and authorized the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil trading channel.

The deal also included provisions to lift U.S. sanctions on Iran and assemble a $300 billion reconstruction fund for the country — a move that drew pushback from several GOP lawmakers.

“We didn’t get anything. I just hope we play Iran in the World Cup so we can beat them at something,” Maher said.

Vice President Vance told Fox News‘s “Fox and Friends” on Saturday morning that “not a single penny” of U.S. money will be used for this construction fund and that the release of these funds is contingent on Iran’s compliance with the MOU’s terms.

A U.S. delegation including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner are in Switzerland this weekend for technical negotiations over this agreement, Vance confirmed. The vice president told the network that he is “very confident” the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran will hold.

“There’s a fork in the road here,” Vance said, referring to the upcoming negotiations. “The United States wins either way, but I think that what ultimately happens from here is very much up to the Iranians.

“Do they want to behave better? If so, great,” he continued. “If they don’t want to behave better, the president of the United States still has a whole lot of options from here.”

The announcement from Iran’s military the same morning that it would close the Strait of Hormuz appeared to put the MOU’s strength to the test. Khatam al-Anbiya Central ‌Headquarters said in a statement reported by state broadcaster IRIB that this decision was made in response to Israeli attacks on Iran-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.

U.S. Central Command appeared to dispute Iran’s move in a statement shared on social media.

“U.S. forces remain present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect,” the military command said.

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