JD Vance says US attacked nuclear program, not Iran—aggression would be met with 'overwhelming force'

Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that the United States is not at war with Iran, but rather is at war with Iran’s nuclear program. 

Vance’s comments came during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, a day after the US military carried out airstrikes on three nuclear sites inside Iran.

“We’re not at war with Iran,” Vance said when asked by host Kristen Welker whether bombing nuclear facilities amounted to war. “We’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program.”

When asked if he had confidence that Iran’s nuclear sites were destroyed, Vance said he was confident the mission achieved its goal.

“I feel very confident that we’ve substantially delayed their development of a nuclear weapon, and that was the goal of this attack," Vance said, later adding, "We destroyed the Iranian nuclear program ... and we did it without endangering the lives of American pilots. That's an incredible thing.”

In a separate interview with ABC News, Vance warned that any future aggression from Iran would be met with “overwhelming force.” He emphasized the limited scope of the strikes, saying, “We did not attack the nation of Iran. We did not attack any civilian targets. We didn't even attack military targets outside of the three nuclear weapons facilities.”

On Saturday night, Vance appeared alongside President Trump during a national address in which the president confirmed the operation. The strike involved B-2 stealth bombers targeting Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan with multiple bunker-buster bombs. Trump praised the military’s execution, calling it a “spectacular military success” and declaring that Iran’s key nuclear enrichment sites “have been completely and totally obliterated.”

On Sunday morning, Vance posted on X to commend the military and national security officials involved, writing, ”The operation last night is an incredible testament to American pilots and other service members, from General Caine and General Kurilla on down.”

Vance also praised the president’s national security team amid reports of internal disagreements between President Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who has taken a more isolationist stance. Trump criticized Gabbard on Friday for her testimony earlier this year that Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon.

“While the media has attacked the president's senior team relentlessly, and tried to sow fake division, last night would have been impossible without perfect coordination and discretion from the president's national security team,” Vance wrote. “I'm incredibly proud of them, and I know the president is, too.”