Vice President JD Vance clarified on Sunday that the recent U.S. military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities do not signify a state of war with the country itself, but rather a targeted effort against its nuclear ambitions.
In an interview with ABC News’ ‘This Week,’ Vance stated, ‘No, we’re not at war with Iran, Jon. We’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program.’ He emphasized that President Donald Trump’s decision to strike was aimed at decisively weakening Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Despite the strikes, Vance refrained from confirming whether Iran’s nuclear program had been entirely destroyed, but asserted that it has been set back ‘substantially.’ He elaborated, ‘Whether it’s years or beyond that, we know it’s going to be a very long time before Iran can even build a nuclear weapon if they want to.’
During his national address on Saturday night, President Trump referred to the strikes as having ‘completely and totally obliterated’ key Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities. When pressed by journalists on the actual status of the facilities, Vance maintained that the U.S. has significantly disrupted Iran’s nuclear program.
‘I can say to the American people with great confidence — that they are much further away from the nuclear program today than they were 24 hours ago,’ Vance commented. He further elaborated on the success of the mission, particularly in regard to the destruction of the Fordo nuclear site and damage inflicted on other locations related to Iran’s nuclear activities.
In light of questioning about Iran’s highly enriched uranium, which amounted to 900 pounds, Vance indicated that the administration aims to address the issue in the upcoming weeks. He assured that conversations with Iranian officials would take place to handle the matter.
Considering the likelihood of Iranian retaliation, Vance stated that the U.S. would be prepared to respond with ‘overwhelming force.’ He highlighted the precision of the strikes and how they were carefully planned and executed to meet specific objectives.
Should Iran choose to escalate the situation, Vance made it clear that the U.S. would act accordingly. ‘How Iran responds, I think, is ultimately — the ball is in their court,’ he said. He reinforced that the recent actions were not intended to plunge the U.S. into a prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
‘What we’re getting ourselves involved in is a very targeted effort to eliminate the Iranian nuclear program. That will continue to be the goal of American foreign policy,’ Vance stated.
In a related social media post last week, Trump referred to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, characterizing him as an ‘easy target.’ When asked whether the U.S. is pursuing Khamenei or contemplating regime change, Vance reiterated that regime change is not a goal of the Trump administration.
‘We want to achieve the end of the Iranian nuclear program. That’s America’s objective, and that’s what the president has set us out to do,’ Vance concluded, underscoring the administration’s commitment to halting Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.
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