Cracks are showing inside the Trump administration over the ongoing US-Iran conflict. According to a report by The Atlantic, Vice President JD Vance has privately raised doubts about whether the Pentagon is giving President Donald Trump an honest picture of how the war is actually going.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine have been vocal in praising the US military’s performance across eight weeks of fighting. They’ve claimed American forces have badly damaged Iran’s air force, navy, and defense infrastructure — and that weapons stockpiles remain strong.
Vance isn’t buying it. Behind closed doors, he’s reportedly challenged those claims repeatedly. His biggest worry: the US missile supply has taken a serious hit. He’s said to believe that if the current rate of missile use in Iran continues, America could be dangerously short of resources if conflict breaks out with China, North Korea, or Russia down the line.
There’s more. Vance is said to have opposed Operation Epic Fury from the start, warning it would backfire. He personally led the first round of peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan — those collapsed. A second round scheduled this week was also called off.
Publicly, Vance praises Hegseth. Privately, according to the report, he’s been raising serious questions about the strategic planning. Some senior officials have reportedly said Hegseth tends to tell Trump what he wants to hear, not necessarily what’s true.