VP Vance: We Are Not At War With Iran, We Are At War With Iran’s Nuclear Program
Vice President JD Vance joins NBC’s “Meet the Press” following U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities to discuss the attack, the president’s decision-making process and his hopes for how Iran responds.
KRISTEN WELKER: My first question, Mr. Vice President, is the United States now at war with Iran? VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: No, Kristen, we’re not at war with Iran. We’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program. And let me just say, Kristen, that we’re incredibly grateful and proud of the American Air Force pilots who did an incredible job last night. The operation was really extraordinary. These guys flew from Missouri. They didn’t land a single time. They dropped 30,000 pound bombs on a target the size of a washing machine and then got back home safely without ever landing in the Middle East or ever stopping other than to briefly refuel. And, of course, they did that in the air. So, it’s really an incredible operation, a testament to the power of American military. And I think what — shows what can happen when you have that great American military in the hands of capable presidential leadership. What we did is we destroyed the Iranian nuclear program. I think we set that program back substantially, and we did it without endangering the lives of the American pilots. That’s an incredible thing, and I think we all should be proud — whatever, whatever our politics, we should be proud of what these guys accomplished. A very, very high-impact mission under a lot of pressure. … KRISTEN WELKER: Do you have 100% confidence that Iran’s nuclear sites were totally destroyed? VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: Well, Kristen, I’m not going to get into sensitive intelligence about what we’ve seen on the ground there in Iran. But we’ve seen a lot, and I feel very confident that we’ve substantially delayed their development of a nuclear weapon. And that was the goal of this attack. That’s why it was a success. And of course what happens next, again, Kristen, is up to the Iranians. KRISTEN WELKER: Substantially delayed by years? What does “substantially” mean– VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: Well, again, Kristen, I’m not going to get into sensitive intelligence here. But I think that we have really pushed their program back by a very long time. I think that it’s going to be many, many years before the Iranians are able to develop a nuclear weapon. But, again, our goal is that they’re never able to develop a nuclear weapons program. And that is a conversation that we’re going to have with the Iranians and also with our allies in the region. … KRISTEN WELKER: Mr. Vice President, can you rule out that getting involved in this conflict won’t eventually lead to U.S. boots on the ground? VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: Well, the president’s been very clear, Kristen. We have no interest in a protracted conflict. We have no interest in boots on the ground. The president has actually been one of the fiercest critics of 25 years of failed foreign policy in the Middle East, which is why he did what he did: a very precise, a very surgical strike tailored to an American national interest. And that national interest is Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. It would be a disaster for us and for our allies in the region. So I don’t fear that this is going to become a protracted conflict because I think that we have a president who knows what’s in America’s interest and is willing to do the things necessary to accomplish that interest.
