Washington, March 3 – After months of diplomacy, US President Donald Trump concluded that only decisive action would prevent Iran from reaching the brink of possessing a nuclear weapon, Vice President J.D. Vance has said.
In an interview with Fox News on Monday (local time), Vance said the President believed time was running out despite prolonged engagement with Tehran. Referring to Operation Midnight Hammer, he said, "We successfully destroyed the nuclear enrichment facilities during Operation Midnight Hammer over the summer."
However, Vance emphasized that the administration's objective extended beyond temporary setbacks. "He didn't want to simply keep the country safe from an Iranian nuclear weapon for the first three or four years of his second term; he wanted to ensure that Iran could never possess a nuclear weapon," Vance said.
According to him, Trump assessed that Iran remained intent on advancing its program. "He saw that the Iranian regime was weakened. He knew that they were committed to reaching the point of possessing a nuclear weapon, and he decided to take action," Vance said.
When pressed on remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the US could escalate further, Vance underscored the US military's capability. "We have a much greater capacity to inflict damage on the Iranian nuclear program, but also on various missiles that threaten our troops," he said, adding that the President "has a lot of options here."
He maintained that the administration's objective was narrowly defined and clearly communicated. "There is no way that Donald Trump will allow this country to get into a multi-year conflict with no clear end in sight and no clear objective," Vance said. "He has defined that objective as Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and must commit to never trying to rebuild the nuclear capability."
Drawing comparisons with earlier US wars, Vance cited "Afghanistan, 20 years of mission creep, 20 years of not having a clear objective," and said Iraq also lacked clarity. He argued that the present strategy differed because the goal was specific and limited.
On whether Washington seeks regime change in Tehran, Vance said that while a friendlier government would be welcome, it was secondary. "Whatever happens with the regime in one form or another, it's incidental to the President's primary objective here, which is to ensure that the Iranian terrorist regime does not build a nuclear bomb," he said.
Vance also questioned Iran's claim that its enrichment was for peaceful purposes. "Why are you building your enrichment facilities 70 feet underground, and why are you enriching to a level that's far beyond civilian enrichment?" he said. "The objection is these enrichment facilities that are only useful for building a nuclear weapon."
Iran's nuclear activities have long been a source of friction with the United States and its allies.
The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action sought to curb Iran's enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. The United States withdrew from the accord during Trump's first term, after which tensions rose, and Iran gradually expanded aspects of its nuclear programme, bringing the issue back to the centre of US foreign policy.
