U.S. Vice President JD Vance says U.S. has “in some ways” won decisively in Iran, acknowledges troop deployment mistake

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the United States has “in some ways” won decisively in its war with Iran but acknowledged mistakes in the positioning of U.S. troops. He made the remarks during a CBS News town hall with Michigan voters that aired Saturday night, October 17.

Asked why the war had not ended in a decisive U.S. victory, Vance said: “In some ways, we have won decisively, but the Iranians — you know, the enemy gets a vote here, and they have responded in certain ways.” He said Washington is seeking a long-term, verifiable commitment that Iran will not rebuild its nuclear program.

Vance also said the U.S. had identified problems with where American forces were deployed earlier in the conflict. “There were issues with where troops were located that we realized was a huge mistake and that we could do better on, and we have changed that,” he said, declining to provide operational details.

The comment came after Joey Amor, whose wife, U.S. Army Reserve Master Sgt. Nicole Amor, was killed with five other service members in an Iranian drone strike on a U.S. position in Kuwait on March 1, questioned Vance about failures that preceded the attack. Vance said it was the first time he had heard some of Amor’s concerns and promised to examine what happened.

On energy prices, Vance said gasoline prices remain too high but would be about three times higher without the U.S. Navy keeping oil and gas moving through the Strait of Hormuz. He said withdrawing and allowing Iran to control shipping through the strait would push prices higher.

Vance also responded to criticism of the Iran war from Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, saying El-Sayed criticizes decisions made by Trump and the military but that “fundamentally, we are where we are.”

Asked about antisemitism within the political right, Vance said: “I condemn antisemitism. I condemn Jew hatred.” He said people should not be judged by their ethnicity, religion or parentage.

Vance separately rejected suggestions that President Donald Trump had personally participated in corruption or enriched himself through the presidency, saying he had seen no evidence of either. On race, he said demonizing someone for being white was as wrong as demonizing someone for being Black, and said such rhetoric could contribute to some people becoming radicalized.