Vance Details Trump’s Decision on Strikes Against Iran. Vice President JD Vance provided new insight Monday into President Donald Trump’s authorization of military strikes against Iran, revealing key factors that led to the operation. In an interview on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Vance said U.S. officials concluded that Tehran’s claims about its nuclear program were unsatisfactory, prompting the collapse of diplomatic talks and leading Trump to approve “Operation Epic Fury.”
Vance explained that U.S. negotiators—including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner—engaged in deliberate discussions with Iranian representatives in Geneva. The goal was to halt Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions and avoiding broader conflict. According to Vance, the talks failed when Iran insisted on enriching uranium for “civilian purposes,” despite building facilities deep underground and enriching to levels consistent with nuclear weapons development. “Nobody objects to the Iranians producing medical isotopes; the objection is the enrichment facilities that could produce nuclear weapons,” Vance said.
Following the authorization, Pentagon officials confirmed that precision strikes successfully destroyed Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites. U.S. Central Command reported Monday that American forces targeted Iranian air defense systems, missile and drone launch sites, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command centers. CENTCOM emphasized that operations under Epic Fury are “surgical, overwhelming, and unapologetic,” releasing footage of destroyed Iranian missile equipment. The White House notified Congress that Trump’s February 28 strikes were justified under his constitutional authority as commander in chief, citing threats to U.S. forces, regional allies, and international shipping. The president said the strikes aimed to neutralize ballistic missile sites, maritime mining capabilities, air defenses, and command-and-control centers, while ensuring the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz and defending regional partners, including Israel.
