Vice President JD Vance spoke to reports that he personally reached out to U.S. military generals in the Middle East for an on-site assessment of the Iran war in a press gaggle on Monday, calling the news obvious.
“I found that story very weird,” Vance said. “It’s like ‘the vice president calls around to admirals and generals to try to understand America’s foreign policy.’ Of course, I do.”
His comments come in the wake of a New York Times report that said Vance had called around directly to U.S. military leaders in the Middle East for what the outlet called an “unvarnished” evaluation of the Iran war. The outlet called it an “unusual” move, bypassing the Pentagon’s summary of the state of play.
“I trust [Secretary of War] Pete [Hegseth] and I trust [Joint Chiefs Chairman] Dan Caine,” Vance said, reassuring the media on Monday.
Vance had reportedly asked the commanders in the Middle East for an assessment on war-based intel, such as how durable the Iranian regime was, the U.S. military’s defense stockpiles in the region, service member casualty counts, and Iran’s plans for the Strait of Hormuz. The outlet cited conversations with current and former U.S. military officials.
DESPITE HIS BEST EFFORTS, TRUMP IS WINNING IN IRAN
In early September, Vance said he “wouldn’t call it a war” when it came to the Iran conflict because there was “no active shooting.” But recent airstrikes mainly targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz from late August through mid-September have caused a flare-up in the war.
On Sunday, Iranian state media claimed a “terrorist enemy” attacked an Iranian ship in the strait, killing one person, though it did not blame the United States for the attack. The U.S. has not claimed responsibility for the attack, and Trump answered “I don’t want to say,” with a smirk, when asked if the U.S. was responsible.