Vice President JD Vance defended President Donald Trump’s approach to Iran, saying, “people confuse the ends with the means,” and arguing that the peace deal delivers on the administration’s primary objective: preventing Iran from having a nuclear weapon. Vance argued that critics are losing sight of the ultimate goal, asserting that the deal “ensures that Iran won’t get a nuclear weapon, and it ensures that the [Strait of Hormuz] stays open.”“That’s what the president wanted to accomplish. He wanted to ensure that Iran would not have a nuclear weapon, and this deal will accomplish precisely that,” Vance said during a CBS interview Wednesday.
Early in his term, Trump reimposed his “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign against Iran, seeking to squeeze its economy and limit its path to a nuclear weapon. After diplomatic efforts failed to secure concessions, the United States and Israel escalated the pressure campaign with strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, naval forces, and defense targets.
Vance rejected calls for continued military action, arguing that some opponents appear more focused on the use of force than on achieving results.
“The president of the United States used diplomacy; he used economic leverage. He also used military leverage in order to ensure that Iran would not have a nuclear weapon,” Vance said.
