US Vice President J.D. Vance has dismissed comparisons between the recent airstrikes on Iran and past American military interventions in the Middle East, insisting that the operation was narrowly focused and not part of a broader plan to overthrow the Iranian government.

Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Vance stated, “We are not at war with Iran — we are targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.” He described the airstrikes as “precise and limited,” suggesting they were designed to degrade Tehran’s nuclear capabilities without dragging the US into another drawn-out conflict.

Acknowledging widespread public fatigue after decades of military involvement in the region, Vance emphasized that the Biden administration (under Trump’s presidency in this timeline) has no intention of sending ground troops or pursuing extended engagement. “There’s no appetite for a long war, and we are making that very clear,” he said.

While Vance stressed that regime change was not the administration’s goal, President Trump stirred controversy hours later by hinting at exactly that. Posting on Truth Social, he wrote: “It’s not politically correct to say ‘Regime Change,’ but if Iran’s government can’t MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN — why not?”

Vance also echoed Trump’s stark warning to Tehran, stating that any retaliation against American forces would provoke a “devastating response.”

Despite internal criticism over bypassing Congress, Vance defended the legality of the strikes. He claimed the president acted within his constitutional powers to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

The operation has drawn strong international criticism, with Russian UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia comparing the US claims about Iran’s nuclear ambitions to the false WMD narrative that led to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. “Once again, we are being asked to trust unverified claims while innocent people suffer,” Nebenzia told the UN Security Council.