US Vice President JD Vance has accused some members of the Israeli government of trying to influence American public opinion to derail Washington’s diplomatic approach towards Iran, saying certain officials wanted the military campaign to continue. Speaking on a podcast hosted by Joe Rogan, Vance defended the US.-brokered deal that ended last month’s Iran war and alleged that elements within Israel had worked to shift US policy away from that agreement. His remarks mark the latest sign of growing public differences between the Trump administration and sections of Israel’s leadership over how the Iran conflict should be handled.
These remarks also resonate with the previous criticisms that Vance had made against the Israeli government regarding its position on the Iran deal. In particular, the vice president, who is regarded as the future president of America, has become openly supportive of the deal despite opposition from both countries.
JD Vance says some Israeli officials wanted America to abandon the Iran deal
Defending the agreement that ended the fighting with Iran, JD Vance said critics had opposed the deal because it did not curb Iran’s missile programme, offered no clear roadmap for dismantling its nuclear facilities and limited Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Referring to alleged attempts to influence Washington’s approach, Vance said, “I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there have been people within the Israeli government who are trying to, like, actually shift us away from that policy because they want to continue the military campaign.”
JD Vance claims influence campaigns become a problem when they affect US decisions
The vice president said he maintains “good relationships” with some members of the Israeli government, but added, “there are some people within their system that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely.”
JD Vance acknowledged that attempts to influence US policy are common in international politics. “It doesn’t bother me that Israel tries to do this, it frankly doesn’t even bother me that Russia or some of these other countries do it,” he said, adding that it is “just the nature of being a political leader in 2026.” However, he stressed, “What does bother me is when those operations, those influence campaigns, actually affect American political judgment.”
JD Vance says US policy on Iran was not driven solely by Israeli influence
When asked whether the United States would have become involved in the latest war with Iran without Israeli influence, JD Vance replied, “yes, yes I do.” He added, “I think the president, separate from any influence from Israel, believes very strongly, and again I agree with this, that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon.”
The remarks come weeks after Vance criticised Israeli opponents of the Iran deal, saying President Donald Trump remained Israel’s only ally while pointing to the billions of dollars in US defence assistance the country receives. Meanwhile, senior Israeli officials, speaking anonymously, have argued the agreement is unfavourable because it does not address Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, a position they say is widely shared within Israel’s leadership.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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Khalid Lateef is a Sub-Editor at NewsX Digital, specializing in Indian politics and global affairs. He also covers viral trending stories and major crime developments.
