Vance says U.S. 'not at war with Iran, we’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program'

WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance said connected Sunday that the U.S. is not astatine warfare with Iran, but with Tehran's atomic weapons program, and declined to corroborate with 100% assurance that the country’s atomic sites had been wholly destroyed.

During an interrogation connected NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” moderator Kristen Welker asked the vice president whether the U.S. was present astatine warfare with Iran aft President Donald Trump said the U.S. subject had dropped bombs connected 3 Iranian atomic sites connected Saturday.

The determination marked the archetypal clip that the U.S. had straight attacked Iran and prompted concerns about whether attacks could resistance the U.S. into a wider war. Hours later, Iran launched retaliatory strikes against Israel, causing harm successful Tel Aviv.

“We’re not astatine warfare with Iran,” Vance said. “We’re astatine warfare with Iran’s atomic program.”

Vance besides declined to corroborate with 100% certainty that Iran’s atomic sites were wholly destroyed, saying alternatively that helium believes the U.S. has “substantially delayed” Iran’s quality to make a atomic weapon.

"Do you person 100% assurance that Iran's atomic sites were wholly destroyed?" Welker asked.

“I’m not going to get into delicate quality astir what we’ve seen connected the crushed determination successful Iran, but we’ve seen a lot, and I consciousness precise assured that we’ve substantially delayed their improvement of a atomic weapon, and that was the extremity of this attack," Vance said.

He separately said during the interrogation that the U.S. “destroyed the Iranian atomic program,” adding, “I deliberation we acceptable that programme backmost substantially.”

Trump had said Saturday nighttime that the facilities were “completely and wholly obliterated,” which NBC News cannot independently confirm.

“Iran’s cardinal atomic enrichment facilities person been wholly and wholly obliterated,” Trump said successful his Saturday nighttime code to the nation. “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, indispensable present marque peace.”

In the hours since the strike, the U.S. has received “some indirect messages from the Iranians,” Vance said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has besides said that Iran “reserves each options” for its response. Trump said successful an all-capitalized station to Truth Social connected Saturday that “any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America volition beryllium met with unit acold greater than what was witnessed tonight.”

Asked whether the U.S. would gully a reddish enactment if Iran disrupted shipping successful the Strait of Hormuz, a large route, Vance said the determination would beryllium “suicidal” for Iran.

“Their full system runs done the Strait of Hormuz. If they privation to destruct their ain system and origin disruptions successful the world, I deliberation that would beryllium their decision,” said. “But wherefore would they bash that? I don’t deliberation it makes immoderate sense.”

The vice president said that the U.S. wants bid with Iran “in the discourse of them not having a atomic weapons program.” He argued that the U.S. did not “blow up” diplomacy, casting blasted alternatively connected Iran for not giving diplomacy “a existent chance.”

“The Iranians are intelligibly not precise bully astatine war. Perhaps they should travel President Trump’s pb and springiness bid a chance,” Vance said. “If they’re superior astir it, I warrant you the President of the United States is too.”

The U.S. onslaught came aft Israel launched strikes connected Iran’s atomic facilities earlier this month, prompting Iran to retaliate with strikes against Israel. The 2 countries person been locked successful a subject struggle since then.

The U.S. initially denied its involvement, but successful the days pursuing the archetypal attacks, the president weighed whether the U.S. should unleash the subject to backmost Israel. U.S. has “bunker buster” bombs that could penetrate Fordo, which is built wrong a upland — the lone state known to person this benignant of weapon.