Elements within the Israeli government and society are pushing to needlessly prolong the Iran war and tank the Trump administration’s negotiations, Vice President JD Vance claims.
“I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there have been people within the Israeli government who are trying to actually shift us away from that policy because they want to continue the military campaign,” Vance said on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience released on Wednesday.
“There are some people within their system, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, who are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely,” he added. “Again, not towards any objective, but just indefinitely.”
The Independent has contacted the Israeli prime minister’s office and the Israeli embassy in Washington for comment.
During the podcast interview, Vance also pointed with alarm to a recent magazine article claiming that former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale was running an online influence campaign on behalf of the state of Israel aimed at bolstering its image inside the U.S. The TIME article cited a senior U.S. official who suspected the operation included posts critical of the Trump administration’s recent actions surrounding the war.
“I have never funded, organized, or participated in any effort to undermine President Trump—ever—including his MOU or ceasefire proposal,” Parscale told TIME. “The claim that I am coordinating an effort to prolong the war is completely false. The only people manufacturing a conflict between President Trump, Israel, and me are anonymous officials using background quotes to make me the bogeyman.”
Vance’s comments come amid increasingly open tension between the U.S. and Israel, staunch allies which have been jointly carrying out the war against Iran since late February.
Last month’s early-stage peace deal between the U.S. and Iran reportedly blindsided the Israelis, who took issue with the plan’s calls to cease related fighting in Lebanon, as well as the agreement punting nuclear negotiations into the future and opening the door to eventual sanctions relief for Iran.
“Trump reneged on every promise, turned Iran into a power, strengthened Hezbollah, and as a final flourish, gave Israel a kick and humiliation,” one Israeli columnist wrote after the terms of the deal were made public.
President Trump has also publicly chided Israel for attacks in Lebanon that struck largely civilian buildings.
Whatever disagreements exist between the U.S. and Israel over the Iran deal, they may have been put to the side for the time being, as the U.S. has resumed striking Iran and imposing an American naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has claimed Iran is still hungry for a deal, though Tehran has not publicly signaled anything to that effect.
