politics
Vice President Vance Defends U.S.-Iran Deal, Says Some Israeli Officials Tried to Influence Opinion
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on a podcast posted July 16 that some members of the Israeli government sought to shift American public opinion against a June deal ending the war with Iran. He defended the agreement while noting that influence efforts by multiple countries are common.
Jul 16, 5:46 AM·1m read1 source
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U.S. Vice President JD Vance said some members of the Israeli government tried to influence American public opinion to oppose a deal ending the war with Iran. The comments came in a podcast episode with Joe Rogan posted on July 16.
Vance defended the agreement reached in June. He said he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that people within the Israeli government wanted to continue the military campaign and were manipulating U.S. opinion to keep the war going indefinitely.
Vance stated that many countries, including allies and adversaries, attempt to shape American policy. He added that such efforts by Israel or Russia did not bother him, describing them as the nature of being a political leader in 2026. What concerned him, he said, was when those campaigns affected American political judgment.
When asked whether the United States would have entered the most recent war with Iran absent Israeli influence, Vance answered yes. He noted separately that President Trump believes strongly that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Al-Monitor reported.
