JD Vance addressed US-Israel relations amid tensions. Then he said something rarely heard from a sitting VP: ‘our interests diverge’

Vice President JD Vance spoke about the relationship between the United States and Israel on Monday, saying the two countries share many common goals but do not always see eye to eye. Vance made the remarks during an appearance on Fox News‘ Jesse Watters Primetime, addressing what he described as areas where American and Israeli interests part ways.

“The Israelis and the United States, we have a lot of shared interests, but we also have some situations where our interests diverge,” Vance said on the program. He added that while Israel has its own objectives, the United States’ primary goal regarding Iran is to prevent the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Vance’s comments apparently came amid reports of growing strain between Washington and Jerusalem. According to recent U.S. intelligence reports, per Fox News, Israel has allegedly been conducting surveillance on American officials involved in U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations, including the Pentagon’s top policy officer, Elbridge A. Colby, and Trump’s lead negotiator, Steve Witkoff.

Vance signals progress in U.S.-Iran nuclear talks as Pentagon reportedly raises Israel to top counterintelligence threat

As a result of the reported surveillance, the Pentagon has reportedly elevated Israel to the status of a top counterintelligence concern. Vance has previously pushed back on reports about Pentagon concerns, making his Monday remarks all the more notable. The development comes as tensions between American and Israeli officials have reportedly intensified over how to handle ongoing negotiations with Iran.

President Donald Trump also recently confirmed that he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “f—ing crazy” during a heated phone call over Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, suggesting a rare and notable rift between the two leaders.

Despite those tensions, Vance said that U.S. policy toward Iran will be guided by American national interests. “Over the last year and a half, we’ve created the space necessary where the president believes, and I think that he’s right, that we can get the long-term settlement to Iran’s nuclear deal,” he said. “Now, Israel may like that, they may not like that. But fundamentally, we think this is in the best interest of the United States of America.”

Israel and Iran reportedly exchanged military strikes over a recent weekend, marking what appeared to be the first time the two countries targeted each other since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect in early April. The attacks reportedly put pressure on the fragile Middle East ceasefire that the Trump administration has been working to maintain.

On the question of whether Iran could be attempting to manipulate the United States at the negotiating table, Vance offered a candid response when Fox News host Jesse Watters raised the concern directly. “Everybody’s always trying to play everybody,” Vance said. “I don’t assume that anybody’s acting in good faith.” Despite that skepticism, the vice president said he believes Iran is showing signs of genuine engagement in the talks. 

“The Iranians don’t want this war to continue,” Vance told Fox News. “It’s not in their best interest, and I think they’re coming to the table, putting some real things on the table.” He added, “We’ve been very involved in these negotiations.” 

“We’re going to take the attitude of: ‘Accomplish the president’s mission, but verify over the long term that the Iranians are keeping their end of the bargain.’ It’s a tall order, but it’s one that the president has put us in a good position to achieve,” Vance said. He also argued that the absence of a proper inspection mechanism was the central flaw in the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement reached under the Obama administration. “The number one thing that went wrong with the Obama deal is that there was not a proper inspections regime to ensure that the Iranians could never build a nuclear weapon,” he said.

Vance concluded his remarks by framing a potential U.S.-Iran nuclear deal as a major win for the American public. “If we get to this deal, it’s gonna be a home run win for the American people,” he said.