Vice President JD Vance hid from the public his in-depth knowledge of how President Donald Trump’s war on Iran is really going.
Vance, 42, had personally called U.S. military commanders over the spring and summer for their individual perspectives on the Iran War and received grave assessments, according to The New York Times.
Multiple current and former officials told the Times that Vance was deeply worried about munitions shortages and broader strategic concerns following his talks with the commanders. Meanwhile, he and Trump, 80, repeatedly assured the public that the war was already won.
Commanders had told the vice president that stockpiles of critical munitions, such as Patriot interceptors critical for defending against missile strikes, were “the lowest they had ever seen,” according to the Times.
Trump and several top officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, were aware of Vance’s calls to the top military leaders, the newspaper reported.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Pentagon and the Office of the Vice President for comment. The White House referred the Beast to Vance’s office.
Vance, who served four years in the Marine Corps during the Iraq War, was opposed to the war before it even started, arguing against the military operation during meetings with Trump, according to the Times.
However, the vice president has not voiced his frustrations outwardly, instead defending Trump’s decision vigorously during public appearances.
Vance told reporters last week that he wouldn’t call the conflict, which has now lasted over six months, a “war.” Despite strikes continuing from both sides over the last few weeks, including one U.S. strike that reportedly killed four people at a wedding, the vice president said there was “no active shooting.”
Trump had tasked Vance with leading the efforts to broker peace with Tehran, which eventually resulted in a memorandum of understanding in June. But the ceasefire was short-lived, and tensions have only grown more intense since its 60-day window passed without an agreement.
The president himself has also been dismissive of reports criticizing his war, calling journalists reporting about dwindling stockpiles “treasonous” and claiming the U.S. has already won.
However, Trump’s braggadocio has only made the conflict, which was estimated to last only four to six weeks, even more humiliating.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it captured an unmanned U.S. submarine in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday—a Dive-LD worth roughly $2.5 million, Reuters reported.
Gas prices have also soared as a result of the conflict, with the national average price of diesel surpassing $6 per gallon for the first time ever on Thursday, according to GasBuddy.
