In a lengthy post on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance suggested that President Donald Trump may take “further action” against Iran if its uranium enrichment continues, citing Trump’s longstanding opposition to the country’s nuclear ambitions amid the Israel-Iran conflict.
Vance said that Trump has been consistent for over a decade in opposing Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons and has pushed for a deal to halt enrichment.
The vice president said that Iran has rejected proposals allowing for civilian nuclear energy without enrichment and has instead pursued uranium levels “well above the threshold for civilian use,” violating international agreements.
“He may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment,” Vance wrote while also defending Trump’s restraint and saying that any military move would be focused solely on advancing American interests.
Vance began his post by saying, “Look, I’m seeing this from the inside, and am admittedly biased towards our president (and my friend), but there’s a lot of crazy stuff on social media, so I wanted to address some things directly on the Iran issue:”
Associated Press
Why It Matters
In recent days, Make America Great Again (MAGA) figures have been split on the issue of U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, with some advocating for a strong response and others arguing that Trump’s supporters backed him because of his promise not to draw the U.S. into expensive foreign wars.
What To Know
Vance also commented on “confusion” over the difference between civilian nuclear power and uranium enrichment.
“Iran could have civilian nuclear power without enrichment, but Iran rejected that,” Vance wrote. “Meanwhile, they’ve enriched uranium far above the level necessary for any civilian purpose.”
Vance said he has “yet to see a good argument” for why Iran needs to enrich uranium at levels exceeding civilian use.
What People Are Saying
Vance, on X on Tuesday: “The president has made clear that Iran cannot have uranium enrichment. And he said repeatedly that this would happen one of two ways–the easy way or the ‘other’ way.”
Trump, on Truth Social on Monday: “Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”
What Happens Next
Vance said the decision of whether to take further action “ultimately belongs to the president.”
“And of course, people are right to be worried about foreign entanglement after the last 25 years of idiotic foreign policy,” Vance said.
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