US vice president's silence draws scrutiny amid Iran operation

WASHINGTON

The public silence of US Vice President JD Vance has drawn attention as tensions have been escalated amid an ongoing operation against Iran, which began last month.

While US and Israeli operations targeting Iranian assets — and Iran’s retaliatory actions — continue, Vance has refrained from offering detailed public commentary, limiting his remarks largely to references to President Donald Trump and his administration’s policy.

The issue gained traction after former Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene publicly questioned Vance’s absence from the debate on March 2, asking, “Where the hell JD Vance?” in an interview that circulated widely on social media.

Following Greene's criticism, Vance appeared on Fox News, where he defended Trump's operation and said Iran can never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

"Whatever happens with the regime in one form or another, it's incidental to the president's primary objective here—which is to make sure the Iranian terrorist regime does not build a nuclear bomb," Vance told Fox News.

Vance, who previously criticized US involvement in “endless wars” in the Middle East, has adopted a notably cautious tone.

Last week, local media reports in outlets, including Politico, suggested that Vance expressed skepticism about the US striking Iran in the lead-up to Trump’s decision to launch the war.

Trump himself acknowledged subtle differences, telling reporters that Vance was “philosophically a little bit different than me" about military action but remained broadly supportive.

"I think he was maybe less enthusiastic about going but he was quite enthusiastic,” Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago.

Speaking at an event in the state of North Carolina last week, Vance was asked what he advised Trump as the president weighed military and policy decisions on Iran and whether he expressed concern about the war.

"We're in the situation room ... President and I and the entire senior team are talking about the options and about what we need to do and about how we must best protect the American people," Vance said.

"I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not going to show up here and in front of God and everybody else tell you exactly what I said in that classified room, partially because I don't want to go to prison, and partially because I think it's important for the President of the United States to be able to talk to his advisors without those advisors running their mouths to the American media," Vance said.

Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was also asked about recent reports of division between Vance and Trump on Operation Epic Fury, which began Feb. 28, killing Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

"He’s an incredible member, leader of this team as well, alongside the president and secretary of state," Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Air Force Gen. Dan Caine.

Signs of internal disagreement also surfaced this week when Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned on Tuesday, stating that he could not “in good conscience” support the strikes.

Kent, a veteran who said he deployed to combat 11 times, argued that Iran posed no imminent threat to the US and claimed the conflict was primarily driven by pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.

According to the Washington Post, Kent and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard met with Vance at the White House on Monday.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the report said that during the meeting, Kent presented his resignation letter to Vance.

“The VP encouraged him to speak to the White House chief of staff and POTUS before making any final decisions,” said a White House official, per the report.