Vice President JD Vance clarified that the U.S. is not at war with Iran, but is at war with the countryâs nuclear weapons program.
Vance spoke with moderator Kristen Welker on NBC Newsâ âMeet the Pressâ Sunday.
âWeâre not at war with Iran,â Vance said, per NBC News. âWeâre at war with Iranâs nuclear program.â
President Donald Trump announced the U.S. military had dropped bombs on three Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday.
Vance said the U.S. has âsubstantially delayedâ Iranâs ability to develop a nuclear weapon.
Welker asked if the vice president was 100% confident âIranâs nuclear sites were totally destroyed.â
âIâm not going to get into sensitive intelligence about what weâve seen on the ground there in Iran, but weâve seen a lot, and I feel very confident that weâve substantially delayed their development of a nuclear weapon, and that was the goal of this attack,â Vance answered.
He said the U.S. âdestroyed the Iranian nuclear program. I think we set that program back substantially.â
On ABC Newsâ âThis Week,â Vance declined to differentiate whether the Fordo facility was damaged or destroyed.
âSeverely damaged versus obliterated â Iâm not exactly sure what the difference is,â Vance said. âWhat we know is we set their nuclear program back substantially.â
Trump said that the facilities were âcompletely and totally obliterated.â However, anIranian parliament member said on Sunday that Fordo was not seriously damaged in the strike.
âIranâs key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,â Trump said Saturday. âIran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace.â
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saidSunday that âIranâs nuclear ambitions have been obliterated.â
âBut initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,â Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said.
