Vice President JD Vance stated that there is “no chance” the United States will become involved in a full-scale war with Iran if Donald Trump decides to launch new military strikes. Speaking aboard Air Force Two on Thursday, Vance mentioned that the president is still considering his options, while indirect talks are ongoing to address Iran’s nuclear program.
His remarks come after reports that Trump’s advisers would prefer Israel to strike Iran first, as Americans would likely respond more favorably to the U.S. supporting an ally rather than initiating conflict with Tehran without clear provocation.
Vance emphasized to The Washington Post that the country would not become entangled in another prolonged war in the region, following the unsuccessful military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The idea that we’re going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight – there is no chance that will happen,” he said, pointing to the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in January and the strikes on Iran last summer as operations that were “very clearly defined.”
The comments come after private criticism from General Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Reports this week indicated that he cautioned Trump that an attack on Iran could lead to a prolonged conflict.
Caine, who is involved in U.S. military planning, reportedly warned that Iranian retaliation—threatened by the regime—could result in significant U.S. casualties and escalate into a cycle of violence. In response, Trump stated on social media that these reports were incorrect.
“General Caine, like all of us, would like not to see war. If a decision is made on going against Iran at a Military level, it is his opinion that it will be something easily won,” Trump added.
Vance added last week, before strikes commenced: “I think we all prefer the diplomatic option. But it really depends on what the Iranians do and what they say.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s energy quarantine against Cuba is meant to bring down the communist government, which is at a breaking point in its fight for survival.
The effects are hitting the 10 million people hard. The U.S. fuel blockade is making an economic crisis that has been going on for decades worse, making it harder to get water and making food and medicine shortages worse.
“There’s a number of epidemics rippling through the population right now, repression is increasing as the regime feels cornered, and they are not signaling any willingness to negotiate with the United States,” said Sebastián Arcos, interim director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University.
“These people are really, really bad guys, and they have shown this capacity to survive difficult crises,” he added. “I don’t think they can survive this one.”
Trump on Friday suggested the U.S. could achieve a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, perhaps mirroring America’s approach to Venezuela, where the military took out its leaders but kept the regime largely in place while demanding greater economic cooperation.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading the administration’s strategy and is said to be talking to the grandson of Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old de facto leader of the authoritarian government.
Raúl Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, Castro’s grandson, is his bodyguard and is thought to be in charge of GAESA, the conglomerate that runs Cuba’s armed forces and controls a lot of the island’s economy. The Miami Herald said that GAESA had about $18 billion in assets and bank accounts that were not known about in 2024.
The meeting reportedly took place this past week on the sidelines of the regional Caribbean conference, Caricom, in St. Kitts and Nevis.