Vice President JD Vance stated in an interview with Joe Rogan that elements within the Israeli government aim to prolong the conflict with Iran indefinitely and acknowledged missteps by the Trump administration concerning the release of Jeffrey Epstein files. Vance appeared on "The Joe Rogan Experience" on Wednesday.
"I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there have been people within the Israeli government who are trying to, like, actually shift us away from [negotiations] because they want to continue the military campaign," Vance told Rogan, referencing Iran negotiations. He further alleged, "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."
While not naming Israel directly, Vance claimed a "very discreet, extremely well-funded... literal foreign-influence campaign" is active to undermine a potential Iran deal. He emphasized that any Israeli pressure did not sway President Trump's stance against Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, stating, "I think the president, completely separate from any influence from Israel, believes very strongly, and again I agree with this, that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon."
Vance described his position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict debate in the U.S. as that of a "reasonable moderate."
Epstein Files Handling
During the nearly three-hour podcast, Rogan questioned Vance about the Trump administration's approach to releasing documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Vance conceded that the administration "absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files," but denied that these errors indicated an attempt to conceal information. "But do I think the reason we screwed up the comms is because we were trying to hide something? No," Vance said.