Following the remarks, speculation emerged that the statement could imply the potential use of nuclear weapons against Iran.
Responding to the claims, the White House issued a strongly worded statement on social media platform X, rejecting the interpretation of Vance’s comments.“Literally nothing @VP said here ‘implies’ this, you absolute buffoons,” the White House said in the post.
The response was directed at a post from an account associated with former US vice president Kamala Harris. The account had claimed that Vance’s remarks suggested that President Trump “might use nuclear weapons” in dealing with Iran.The White House insisted that Vance’s comments did not contain any reference to nuclear weapons and did not imply that such an option was being considered.
Vance had earlier said that the United States military has capabilities that it has “so far haven’t decided to use” as Washington considers its options regarding Iran.
His remarks came in the context of President Trump’s ultimatum related to Tehran, though the White House did not elaborate further on what specific tools the US military could employ.
The exchange on social media highlighted the sharp political divisions in Washington over the interpretation of the vice president’s statement.
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By directly responding to the claim linked to the account associated with Kamala Harris, the White House sought to push back against suggestions that the administration was signalling the possibility of a nuclear strike on Iran.
