Vice President JD Vance dismissed speculation Thursday that a US military strike against Iran would lead to a protracted war in the Middle East.
“The idea that we’re going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight — there is no chance that will happen,” Vance said in an interview with the Washington Post.
The vice president cited the airstrikes last year that damaged Tehran’s nuclear facilities and last month’s capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro as examples of the “very clearly defined” military campaigns previously ordered by President Trump, suggesting any new action against Iran would be similar.
Days before last June’s strikes on Iran, the vice president argued that “people are right to be worried about foreign entanglement after the last 25 years of idiotic foreign policy.”
Vance still views himself as a “skeptic of foreign military interventions,” and argued the description applies to Trump as well, he told the outlet.
“I think we all prefer the diplomatic option,” Vance said. “But it really depends on what the Iranians do and what they say.”
Trump has ordered a massive military buildup in the region, while negotiations with Tehran have yet to result in a deal to end the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
The president has been adamant that he will not allow Iran to continue enriching uranium – the fuel needed for a nuclear weapon – vowing the repressive regime will face severe consequences if it doesn’t agreed to a deal with the US.
Vance noted that he doesn’t know whether Trump will decide on strikes “to ensure Iran isn’t going to get a nuclear weapon,” or continue to seek to resolve “the problem diplomatically.”
“I do think we have to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past,” the vice president said. “I also think that we have to avoid overlearning the lessons of the past.
“Just because one president screwed up a military conflict doesn’t mean we can never engage in military conflict again. We’ve got to be careful about it, but I think the president is being careful.”
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