US Vice President J.D. Vance said that strikes on Iran do not mean war.
US Vice President JD Vance said the United States is not at war with Iran despite airstrikes on its nuclear infrastructure.
He spoke about this on ABC News.
“No, we are not at war with Iran. We are at war with Iran's nuclear program,” Vance said, adding that Trump “took decisive action last night to destroy that program.”
Vance noted that the United States had “significantly set back” Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weapons.
“We know that it will take a very long time before Iran can develop nuclear weapons, even if it wants to,” he stressed.
President Donald Trump said in an address to the nation that the strikes had “completely and totally destroyed” key uranium enrichment facilities, including the Fordow nuclear complex. Vance avoided directly answering whether they had been completely destroyed, repeating that the facilities had been “substantially disabled.”
“They are much further along in their nuclear program today than they were 24 hours ago,” Vance said.
Regarding Iran's 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium, Vance said the administration plans to discuss further action with the Iranians.
Separately, the vice president warned of a harsh response in the event of retaliatory actions by Tehran:
“If the Iranians decide to expand this, that will be their decision. But the US president will respond with overwhelming force.”
According to Vence, Washington does not seek war in the Middle East. Instead, U.S. policy is aimed at “a concerted effort to dismantle Iran's nuclear program,” and it is this goal that will determine the administration's future actions.
Recall that last week, Donald Trump addressed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on social media, calling him an “easy target.”
