Vice President JD Vance has made one of the most striking public acknowledgments yet of tensions between Washington and Israel over the future of the Iran conflict, claiming that members of the Israeli government are actively working to keep the United States engaged in an open-ended military campaign.
In an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Vance said he was “beyond a shadow of a doubt” certain that Israeli officials had attempted to shift U.S. policy away from negotiations and toward indefinite military action.
“There have been people within the Israeli government who are trying to shift us away from that policy because they want to continue the military campaign.”
Vance framed the dispute as one between competing national interests, saying that while Israeli officials naturally prioritize Israel, his responsibility is to pursue what he believes serves Americans.
“I care about America first.”
Claims of an Israeli Influence Campaign
Vance also alleged that individuals connected to Israel were attempting to manipulate American public opinion in favor of continuing the war.
According to Vance, some actors were:
Leaking information to reporters.
Coordinating attacks against him on social media.
Opposing negotiations with Iran in favor of continued military operations.
He further claimed he had been falsely accused of acting on behalf of Qatar or taking direction from conservative commentator Tucker Carlson because of his position.
JD Vance on Israel, U.S. Policy, and the Iran War
Vance argued that he sees himself as occupying a moderate position in the debate over Israel within American politics.
“The crazy thing is, people don’t realize this. There’s this massive pro-Israel, anti-Israel debate in the United States, and I’m actually the reasonable moderate.”
He said his view is that Israel should be treated as an ally—but not differently from other allies.
“My attitude is that Israel is an ally, like France or like Britain. I get attacked for that—people call me anti-Semitic or anti-Israel—but they don’t see the writing on the wall.”
Vance acknowledged that Israel is losing support among the American public and addressed concerns about Israeli influence in U.S. politics.
When asked why Israel is losing public opinion, he replied:
“There’s a narrative that Israel has a very disproportionate effect on American politics. I see that narrative.”
He added that many countries attempt to influence U.S. policy.
“A lot of countries do. I think Israel is definitely more effective at it than most, but they’re certainly not the only country that tries to influence American politics.”
According to Vance, the real question is whether American officials are acting in the interests of the United States.
“The concern is whether politicians are aligned with Israel or whether they’re aligned with the United States first.”
Discussing the Iran conflict, Vance claimed that some members of the Israeli government opposed the administration’s diplomatic approach.
“There are people within the Israeli government who are trying to shift us away from that policy because they want to continue the military campaign.”
At the same time, he emphasized that he was not accusing all Israeli officials.
“I don’t think they’re all part of this. The Israeli ambassador to the United States is a really good guy. Obviously, he cares about Israel first. I care about America first.”
He continued:
“There are some people within their system—we know beyond a shadow of a doubt—who are trying to manipulate American public opinion to keep the war going.”
Asked whether Israel affects American political decision-making, Vance responded that foreign governments naturally attempt to influence U.S. policy.
“It doesn’t bother me that Israel tries to do this. Frankly, it doesn’t even bother me that Russia or some other countries do it.”
Joe Rogan then asked whether the United States would have entered the Iran war without Israeli influence.
Vance replied that President Trump would have made the decision regardless.
“I think the president, completely separate from any influence from Israel, believed very strongly…”
When Rogan followed up by asking whether Trump would have continued the military campaign without Israeli influence, Vance answered simply:
“Yes. I do.”
Epstein and Intelligence Connections
Later in the conversation, Rogan asked whether Jeffrey Epstein had connections to intelligence agencies.
Vance responded:
“Yeah—Mossad or CIA or some other deep state, whether in America or Israel or another country, or both.”
He added that Epstein appeared to have ties to senior Israeli intelligence figures while cautioning against portraying the issue as representative of the entire Israeli government.
“One of the reasons I’m always careful to say there are some elements within the Israeli government who opposed our peace process is because there are a lot of elements within the Israeli government who actually supported it. They recognize that an indefinite military campaign is not good for Israel.”
Vance also argued that Epstein’s relationships crossed ideological and political lines.
“In America, he had Republican friends and Democratic friends. In Israel, he appeared to have much deeper connections to the Israeli left than the right. I don’t know exactly what that means.”
TIME Investigation Raises Questions
Vance’s comments referenced a TIME magazine investigation examining an alleged influence campaign targeting conservative media personalities during debate over U.S. policy toward Iran.
The report described coordinated messaging distributed to right-wing influencers through private online groups. According to the article, participants allegedly received financial compensation tied to the reach of their posts.
The investigation reported that the campaign was associated with political consulting firms connected to former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale.
A Growing Divide Inside the Republican Coalition
The interview also highlighted a widening divide within the Republican movement over U.S. foreign policy.
While some Republicans continue advocating close military coordination with Israel, others—including Vance and several prominent “America First” figures—have increasingly argued against deeper U.S. involvement in another prolonged Middle East conflict.
The debate reflects broader disagreements over whether Washington should prioritize diplomacy, military escalation, or a more restrained foreign policy.
Epstein Comments
During the interview, Rogan asked Vance about speculation surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s intelligence connections.
Vance responded that Epstein appeared to have ties to “the highest levels” of American intelligence and also suggested connections to Israeli intelligence, while adding that multiple intelligence services have been discussed publicly.
He did not present evidence for those assertions.
War Continues Despite Calls for Diplomacy
Vance’s remarks come amid continuing debate over U.S. strategy toward Iran. As discussions over negotiations continue, reports have circulated that the Trump administration is weighing additional military options should diplomacy fail.
The vice president’s comments underscore an increasingly public disagreement inside the administration over whether the United States should pursue a negotiated settlement or continue expanding military operations.
Regardless of how policy ultimately develops, Vance’s interview marks one of the clearest instances of a sitting U.S. vice president publicly alleging that elements within a close U.S. ally are attempting to influence American policy in favor of prolonging an ongoing war.
Full Show:
Editor’s Note:At a moment when the once vaunted model of responsible journalism is overwhelmingly the play thing of self-serving billionaires and their corporate scribes, alternatives of integrity are desperately needed, and ScheerPost is one of them. Please support our independent journalism by contributing to our online donation platform, Network for Good, or send a check to our new PO Box. We can’t thank you enough, and promise to keep bringing you this kind of vital news.
You can also make a donation to our PayPal or subscribe to our Patreon.
Please share this story and help us grow our network!
