U.S. Vice President JD Vance asserted that Iran can no longer produce a nuclear weapon after recent American military strikes “destroyed” key elements of Tehran’s atomic infrastructure. Speaking on Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” on Monday, Vance said Iran had been “very close” to fielding a bomb before Washington targeted its facilities.
“Iran was on the verge of having a nuclear weapon,” Vance emphasized. “Now Iran is incapable of building one with the equipment they have because we destroyed it.”
The vice president offered no specifics on the operation’s timing or the exact sites hit, but stressed that U.S. intelligence confirms Tehran’s remaining centrifuges and enrichment hardware are insufficient to reach weapons-grade uranium. His remarks follow months of heightened tension over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and signal a tougher stance from the Biden administration’s second-in-command on Middle East security.
Analysts say the comments could influence upcoming negotiations on sanctions relief and regional defense agreements, while allies in Israel and the Gulf are expected to welcome the declaration of diminished Iranian nuclear capacity. Critics, however, caution that Iran retains scientific know-how and could rebuild unless a long-term monitoring framework is enforced.
Vance’s interview, accompanied by a Reuters file photo taken June 20 in Los Angeles, underscores Washington’s commitment to preventing nuclear proliferation and may reshape diplomatic calculations ahead of future talks in Vienna and New York.