Vice President JD Vance on Thursday defended the Iran deal while hosting the White House press briefing.

Vance stood in for press secretary Karoline Leavitt for the second time since she took maternity leave. He has also been in the spotlight considerably more in recent weeks amid his book tour.

Speaking to reporters, Vance highlighted divisions within the Iranian government about the path forward and contended that the "pragmatists" in the Tehran government are "winning the argument."

The vice president also addressed skepticism of the deal and the Iranians' willingness to alter their behavior on the world stage.

"People say the Iranians will never change their behavior. Well, maybe that's true, and if so, they don't get any of the benefits of the bargain," he said. "But isn't it worth trying? Isn't it worth seeing whether this incredibly weakened position that the President of the United States has put the Iranians under, whether that motivates them to change their behavior, not just vis-a-vis the West, but vis-a-vis the Middle East."

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.