Vice President JD Vance has revealed that he wasn’t informed ahead of President Donald Trump’s dramatic decision to launch overnight airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
This move has ignited legal scrutiny, global backlash, and waves of public concern. “I don’t know that any of us knew exactly when the President made the decision except for the President himself,” Vance told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, following Trump’s announcement that he had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites.
Social media reacted with alarm. “How is it even legal for one man to wake up, bomb a whole country, and not tell anyone???” posted user @horejsiii. Others called the move “terrifying” and even “impeachable,” with critics questioning the legality and oversight behind Trump’s unilateral military decision.
While the White House insists the strikes were targeted at Iran’s nuclear program and not the country itself, Democratic lawmakers are already pushing back.
Many say Trump’s actions are unconstitutional, bypassing Congress’s authority to declare war.
JD Vance Defends Legality but Distances Himself from Surprise Decision
Despite being second-in-command, Vance’s comments suggest he was kept out of the loop until after the strike was launched. “We’re not at war with Iran. We’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program,” he emphasized. Thus, he carefully framed the strike as a strategic, non-escalatory intervention.
Speaking to NBC’s Kristen Welker, JD Vance claimed Donald Trump acted within his powers to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction, even as he clarified, “We don’t want a regime change. We do not want to protract this (…) We want to end the nuclear program, and then we want to talk to the Iranians about a long-term settlement here.”
WELKER: Can’t you just make your argument about immigration without making baseless claims that have been repeated by neo-Nazis?
JD VANCE: I’m repeating them because my constituents are saying these things are happening
WELKER: But there’s no evidence!
pic.twitter.com/NTyb462SsC
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) September 15, 2024
JD Vance confirmed that the U.S. had received “indirect” messages from Tehran in the aftermath of the bombing, but also made it clear that the nation “had no interest in boots on the ground.”
He noted that diplomatic talks with Iran had stalled, which may have prompted the strike.
What Comes Next After Donald Trump’s Iran Strike?
President Trump’s attack on Iran, which involved bunker-busting bombs, apparently targeted key nuclear sites, and it has left them in a pretty bad shape for making more. JD Vance says that Iran is now way, way behind in their plans to build a nuke, and it could be years before they can even think about making real progress again.
But the legal and diplomatic fallout has been swift.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “gravely alarmed,” and Iran has vowed to defend itself. The strikes come as the broader Middle East teeters on the edge, with Israel’s war against Iran (initiated June 13) intensifying the volatility.
I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today. This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security.
There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of…
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) June 22, 2025
Iran, a country that signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, keeps saying that its work with nuclear power is about keeping things peaceful. But Israel is thought to have nukes too, and they didn’t sign that same treaty.
This situation has people from around the globe wondering what kind of message this sends when the nuclear powers go and do their own thing without everyone playing by the same rules.
With Donald Trump saying he’ll make a call on whether the U.S. will jump into the fight between Israel and Iran within two weeks, everyone’s on the edge of their seats.
