Video Vice President JD Vance: President Trump wanted to make sure Iran could never have a nuclear weapon Vice President JD Vance says President Donald Trump was looking for the 'long haul' in Operation Epic Fury on 'Jesse Watters Primetime.'
Vice President JD Vance defended the Trump administration’s military posture toward Iran on Monday, saying the U.S. has "much greater capacity" to strike Tehran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure and that the campaign could continue for an extended period if necessary.
"The president of the United States knows what we're able to do," he told "Jesse Watters Primetime" on Monday.
"He knows that we have much greater capacity to inflict damage on the Iranian nuclear program, but also on various missiles that threaten our troops…" he continued.
"I think the president has made it very clear that the United States has a lot of optionality here, and we could go for a little bit longer. We could go a lot longer."
Vice President JD Vance rejected comparisons between the current conflict involving Iran and the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan during his appearance on "Jesse Watters Primetime" on Monday. (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Vance rejected comparisons to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, arguing that the current operation is defined by limited objectives rather than open-ended nation-building.
"If you think back to Afghanistan, 20 years of mission creep, 20 years [of] not having a clear objective and 20 years [of] the United States trying to bring liberal democracy to Afghanistan. Iraq was a little bit shorter, but we were still in that country for nearly a decade with no clear mission, no clear definition," he said.
"What’s so different about this, Jesse, is that the president has clearly defined what he wants to accomplish."
TRUMP SENDS OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION TO CONGRESS ON STRIKES AGAINST IRAN
This image from video provided by U.S. Central Command shows a missile launched from a U.S. Navy ship in support of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28. (U.S. Central Command via AP)
That mission, he said, is distinct: preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and ensuring Tehran commits to never rebuild its nuclear capability.
"I think that means that we're not going to get into the problems that we've had with Iraq and Afghanistan," he concluded.
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Vance's remarks come amid growing concerns that the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran could lead to broader Middle East conflict with no clear end in sight.
The weekend strikes killed dozens of key Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran’s security chief accuses Trump of ‘Israel First’ policy, 'delusional fantasies' in region Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
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