US Vice President JD Vance reportedly said that US President Donald Trump made the final decision to launch strikes on Iranian nuclear sites “minutes before the bombs dropped.”
During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with Kristen Welker, JD Vanvce said Trump “had the ability to call off this attack until the very last minute” and decided to proceed.
On the question whether Trump coordinated with Israel on his decision to attack Iran, JD vance said Trump decided to issue some “private ultimatums to the Iranians” as he decided by “midday that this process was not going anywhere…and eventually we decided to destroy the Fordow nuclear facility and other facilities ourselves.”
Timeline of US strikes on Iran
According to a timeline provided by the US Joint Chiefs of Staff as reported by CNN, massive “bunker buster” bombs were dropped on two of the nuclear sites around 6:40 pm ET Saturday in the US, placing the time of the attack around 2:10 a.m. local time Sunday in Iran.
Trump had been deliberating for days about US involvement and directed his press secretary to offer a two-week timeline from the briefing room in recent days.
But he had been leaning toward joining Israel’s military campaign in private discussions with senior staff as his envoy Steve Witkoff was still making diplomatic efforts, CNN reported.
“President Donald Trump made the final order for the US to strike Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday,” CNN reported, quoting a senior White House official.
“Trump made the final call on Saturday and directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to go ahead,” this official said.
US closely watching Iran
The US is now closely watching whether Iran attacks American troops or continues its nuclear weapons program, Vance said, calling the current situation “a very delicate moment,” as reported by CNN.
He noted that Iran’s next steps would become clear within the next 24 hours.
Indirect messages from Iran
So far, the US has “received some indirect messages from the Iranians,” Vance said. Earlier on Sunday, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that “both public and private messages are being directly delivered to the Iranians in multiple channels.”
Asked about what would happen if Iran takes steps to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Vance said that action “would be suicidal” and would “destroy their own economy,” CNN reported.
Reiterating the administration’s stance, Vance said the US has “no interest in boots on the ground” and dismissed concerns that the US involvement would escalate.
Trump ‘worried about protracted military conflicts’
Addressing local concerns in an interview that aired on Sunday, VP Vance said, “The president, more than anybody, is worried about protracted military conflicts. That is not what we’re getting ourselves involved in.”
“What we’re getting ourselves involved in is a very targeted effort to eliminate the Iranian nuclear program that will continue to be the goal of American foreign policy, and it’s that goal, that is going to motivate our action in the weeks and months to come,” CNN reported.