Vice President JD Vance reportedly said there's "no chance" military strikes on Iran would result in the U.S. becoming involved in a prolonged war.
Speaking with The Washington Post on Air Force Two as he returned to Washington from an event in Wisconsin on Thursday, Vance said President Donald Trump is weighing military and diplomatic options to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon but without repeating what he described as the costly missteps of past administrations.
"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, responding to critics who predict a prolonged conflict if the U.S. escalates its response.
Vance,a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq and has said he was "lied to" over that war, described himself as a "skeptic of foreign military interventions."
He said that skepticism aligns with Trump's America First approach.
"I think we all prefer the diplomatic option," Vance told the Post. "But it really depends on what the Iranians do and what they say."
Newsmax has reached out to the White House for comment on Vance's remarks.
Vance said earlier in the week that the U.S. has evidence Iran is trying to rebuild elements of its nuclear program following U.S.-led strikes in June that Trump said obliterated key nuclear sites.
"The principle is very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," Vance told reporters ahead of renewed talks in Geneva.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Iranian officials Thursday for another round of negotiations as a significant American military presence remains positioned in the region.
Vance reiterated on Fox News that while Trump prefers a diplomatic solution, he "has other tools at his disposal."
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has authorized the voluntary departure of nonessential staff amid growing regional tensions. Nonessential personnel in Beirut have already been ordered out.
Trump has also openly floated the idea of regime change in Iran, saying earlier this month that removing its leader, Ali Khamenei, "would be the best thing that could happen."
Asked whether he ever imagined being part of a presidency contemplating such action, Vance laughed.
"Life has all kinds of crazy twists and turns," he said, adding that Trump is being "careful" and focused on American interests.
Meanwhile, debate inside the conservative movement over U.S. involvement in the Middle East continues.
Vance has encouraged open discussion, including Israel-skeptical voices, while affirming Israel remains a strategic ally.
"If you think of the Trump coalition in 2024 — Joe Rogan, Mark Levin, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and JD Vance — to do that, you have to be willing to tolerate debate and disagreement," Vance said. "And I just think that it's a good thing."
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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