‘Trying to drive a wedge between me, President’: JD Vance on previous comments about Middle East

WASHINGTON: US Vice President JD Vance on Monday (local time) underlined how members of the United States’ administration are in complete harmony regarding foreign policy, and that the Vice President trusts President Trump to “get the job done” with Iran.

While speaking to reporters at the White House alongside Trump, Vance ‘sidestepped’ a question regarding his previous statements on West Asia, “You’re trying to drive a wedge between members of the administration, between me and the president. What the president said consistently going back to 2015, and I agreed with him, is that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon”, he said.

According to CNN, when pressed further on whether he had any reservations about US involvement in the war with Iran, Vance reiterated his support, saying he trusts the president “to get the job done.”

Q: Given your past skepticism of foreign adventurism, are you completely on board with the war on Iran?

JD VANCE: I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to drive a wedge. All of us should pray for success

(Not a yes!) pic.twitter.com/o5iddbutXn

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 16, 2026

Vance also contrasted Trump’s leadership with previous administrations, saying, “is that we have a smart president, whereas in the past, we’ve had dumb presidents, and I trust President Trump to get the job done, to do a good job for the American people and to make sure that the mistakes of the past aren’t repeated”, as reported by CNN.

Vance had earlier expressed scepticism about US involvement in foreign conflicts before joining the administration, including writing in a 2023 op-ed that Trump’s success was partly due to avoiding wars, CNN reported. In 2024, Vance had said a war with Iran would not serve US interests and would be a “huge distraction of resources”, CNN reported

According to CNN, the Marine Corps veteran had also warned about escalation in 2020 following the killing of an Iranian commander and was privately sceptical about US strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels, as suggested in private messages from “Signal-gate” last year.

Meanwhile, around 200 US troops have been wounded or injured across seven countries during the ongoing military campaign against Iran, CNN reported, citing US Central Command spokesperson Timothy Hawkins. CNN reported that the majority of the injuries have been minor, with more than 180 American service members already returning to duty, according to Hawkins, CNN reported.

According to CNN, the latest figures mark an increase from 140 injured personnel reported by the Pentagon as of March 10, when it had stated that eight of the injuries were severe. CNN stated that a US official had earlier said that those considered seriously wounded include cases where death is possible or imminent.

According to CNN, a total of 13 US service members have been killed in action so far. Such injury figures may fluctuate or rise over time, as some service members may delay seeking medical treatment depending on the severity of their condition, as per CNN. (ANI)