JD Vance says Iranian nuclear program 'substantially' set back after 'precise, surgical' US strikes

Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that America "is not astatine warfare with Iran," but alternatively is astatine warfare with the Iranian atomic program, which was "substantially" acceptable backmost by U.S. strikes.

In an quality connected ABC’s "This Week," Vance praised President Donald Trump’s "decisive enactment to destruct the program" and expressed an "incredible magnitude of gratitude" to the U.S. troops, who, helium says, flew thousands of miles connected a 30-hour non-stop flight, "never touched down connected the ground" and dropped a 30,000-pound weaponry "on a people astir the size of a washing machine." 

"No subject successful the satellite has the training, the skills, and the instrumentality to bash what these guys did past night," Vance said. "I cognize the president and I are some precise arrogant of them, and I deliberation what they did was execute a precise halfway American nationalist objective. Iran cannot person a atomic weapons program. The president's been precise wide astir this, and acknowledgment to the bravery and competence and accomplishment of our large pilots and everybody who supported this mission, we took a large measurement guardant for that nationalist nonsubjective past night." 

Vance was hesitant to disclose excessively overmuch delicate accusation astir the mission, which reportedly progressive 125 aircraft. 

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President Donald Trump arrives with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to talk from the East Room of the White House successful Washington, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (Carlos Barria/Pool via AP)

ABC’s Jonathan Karl asked the vice president, "Can you accidental definitively that Iran’s atomic programme has present been destroyed?" 

"I don't privation to get into delicate quality here, but we cognize that we acceptable the Iranian atomic programme backmost substantially past night. Whether it's years oregon beyond that, we cognize it's going to beryllium a precise agelong clip earlier Iran tin adjacent build a atomic weapon if they privation to," Vance said. 

Pressed connected the grade of the damage, the vice president again declined to disclose delicate quality but added, "I consciousness highly confident, and I tin accidental to the American radical with large assurance that they are overmuch further distant from a atomic programme contiguous than they were 24 hours ago."

"That was the nonsubjective of the ngo –  to destruct that Fordow atomic tract –  and, of course, bash immoderate harm to the different sites arsenic well," helium said. "But we consciousness precise assured that the Fordow atomic tract was substantially acceptable backmost and that was our goal." 

President Donald J. Trump successful The Situation Room connected June 21, 2025 arsenic the U.S. carried retired strikes against Iran. (The White House via X)

Vance separately told NBC's "Meet The Press" that the U.S. had engaged successful a diplomatic process with the Iranians to nary avail until astir mid-May erstwhile Trump past "decided to contented immoderate backstage ultimatums to the Iranians." 

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"My connection to the Iranians is it would beryllium the stupidest happening successful the world," Vance said astir imaginable retaliation aft the U.S. strikes. "If you look astatine what happened past night, we had an incredibly targeted, precise surgical onslaught connected the atomic facilities that are the people of the American operation. Our nationalist involvement is for Iran to not get a atomic weapon. Our strikes past nighttime facilitated that nationalist objective. If the Iranians privation to enlarge this by attacking American troops, I deliberation that would beryllium a catastrophic mistake."

Vance reiterated however Trump mentioned successful his precocious Saturday nighttime code from the White House that the United States wants Iran to springiness up their atomic programme peacefully – but allowing Iran to get a atomic limb remains disconnected the table. 

Vice President JD Vance, President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth talk aft the U.S. attacked 3 Iranian atomic sites. (Carlos Barria/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"There is nary mode that the United States is going to fto Iran person a atomic weapon. And truthful they truly person to take a pathway," Vance told ABC. "Are they going to spell down the way of continued war, of funding terrorism, of seeking a atomic weapons? Or are they going enactment with america to springiness up atomic weapons permanently? If they're consenting to take the astute path, they're surely going to find a consenting spouse successful the United States to dismantle that atomic weapons program." 

He besides issued a warning.

"But if they determine they're going to onslaught our troops, if they determine they're going to proceed to effort to physique a atomic weapon. Then we are going to respond to that with overwhelming force. So really, what happens adjacent is up to the Iranians."

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Trump warned Saturday that "any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America volition beryllium met with unit acold greater than what was witnessed tonight." The U.S. military carried retired "massive precision strikes" connected the 3 cardinal atomic facilities successful the Iranian regime: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan," which Trump said for years carried connected a "horribly destructive enterprise" and person present been "completely and wholly obliterated."