Vice President Vance said on Sunday the United States has “no interest” in boots on the ground in Iran but did not rule out the possibility altogether.
“Mr. Vice President, can you rule out that getting involved in this conflict won’t eventually lead to US boots on the ground,” Kristen Welker asked Vance in an interview on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.”
“Well, the president has been very clear Kristen: We have no interest in a protracted conflict. We have no interest in boots on the ground,” Vance said.
Vance said President Trump “has actually been one of the fiercest critics of 25 years of failed foreign policy in the Middle East,” noting that is “why he did what he did: A very precise, a varied surgical strike tailored to an American national interest, and that national interest is: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. It would be a disaster for us and for our allies in the region.”
“So I don’t fear that this is going to become a protracted conflict because we have a president who knows what’s in America’s interests and is willing to do the things necessary to accomplish that interest,” he added.
Trump announced Saturday the U.S. had bombed three Iranian nuclear sites, including the Fordow site, which is located in a mountainside.
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home,” Trump added. “Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!”
The announcement of U.S. action against Iran came two days after the White House said Trump would decide whether to get involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel “in the next two weeks” to give a window for negotiations.