Against the backdrop of renewed exchanges of fire between the United States and Iran overnight, U.S. Vice President JD Vance did not rule out concerns Monday about ammunition shortages or U.S. vulnerability in other parts of the world as the campaign against the Islamic Republic drags on. He nevertheless blamed the previous administration of Joe Biden and said President Donald Trump is working to improve the situation.
“I think the United States is in as strong a position today as it has ever been, and under the president’s leadership we are only going to get stronger,” Vance said. “We certainly saw during the Biden administration that the military suffered from underinvestment and a lack of resources, and we are fixing that every day.”
JD Vance blames the Biden administration for the ammunition shortage
(Photo: Vincent Alban/Getty Images North America/ AFP)
Vance added: “Obviously, it is something that concerns us, but it concerns us because of many years of underinvestment in the military. That is exactly one of the things the president of the United States is working to fix.”
About a month ago, The New York Times reported that Trump had considered a new “massive attack” on Iran, but senior Pentagon officials warned him against it because of a shortage of interceptors and an assessment that the United States would struggle to cope with a strong Iranian response.
The Washington Post also reported Sunday that senior U.S. military commanders had warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that large-scale operations against Iran could not be sustained over time, and that continuing to concentrate forces in the Middle East could undermine the U.S. military’s ability to confront threats elsewhere in the world, including defending the United States itself.
Donald Trump's AI-generated video of Iran bombing Kharg Island
(Video: From Trump's Truth Social account)
Vance was also asked about an AI-generated video Trump posted Monday on his Truth Social platform showing an island being bombed from the air. Alongside the video, Trump wrote that “Kharg Island is being bombed to smithereens.”
“You know the president likes to switch it up a little bit on social media,” Vance replied. “He sent a message to the Iranians.”
In Iran, officials sought to play down the overnight exchange of blows with the United States, while at the same time continuing their rhetoric and threats against Washington. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said: “The forces have demonstrated that any action threatening our territorial integrity — regardless of its scale — will be met with the most decisive response.”
Ali Reza Elhami, commander of air defense at the Khatam al-Anbiya Joint Headquarters, warned that “if the enemy makes any mistake against Iran, we will humiliate it,” while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian added during a visit to Kyrgyzstan with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that “the American side has not fulfilled its commitments.”
Missile launches from Iran to Jordan
He later said: “We continue trying to reach agreement and understanding, and we believe that continuing the war is not in our interest, not in the interest of the region — and not in the interest of humanity. We believe the solution to the existing problems is dialogue and cooperation. Iran and India can improve economic cooperation by neutralizing the effects of sanctions.” The United States, it should be noted, has said that countries maintaining economic ties with Iran will face severe sanctions.
The United States struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rocket launchers on Larak Island Sunday evening, and hours later U.S. officials reported that Iran had attacked forces stationed in Jordan. In the morning, Iran’s military said it had struck a U.S. Air Force base in the United Arab Emirates with drones.
A senior U.S. official said Washington launched the strike after “IRGC forces were observed preparing to launch missiles carrying naval mines toward the Strait of Hormuz.”
Speaking to Reuters, the official added: “Our forces have completed clearing mines from international shipping lanes, are closely monitoring the area and are prepared to defend the free flow of commerce through the strait.”