Trump Berates Vance for Not Repeating Iran Nuclear Line
President Donald Trump reportedly berated Vice President JD Vance for failing to repeat Trump’s specific phrase that a 2025 U.S. military strike had “totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program, according to a forthcoming book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan titled “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump.” After the June attack, Vance had stated on ABC News that the strike “severely damaged” Iran’s nuclear program rather than obliterated it, noting that intelligence at the time suggested the program had not been fully destroyed.
Trump’s anger escalated when Vance, a military veteran skeptical of foreign military interventions, suggested the president soften language in his speech about the Iran operation. According to the book, Trump dismissed the vice president’s concerns by declaring, “I know what I’m doing,” then turned his back on Vance without further response. The tension reflected broader friction between the two men over Iran policy, with aides noting Vance appeared anxious following the strike and concerned about potential escalation.
Despite these reported disagreements, Vance has served as a central figure in the administration’s Iran strategy, conducting negotiations and publicly defending a recent memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran aimed at ending the conflict. This week, Vance defended the agreement against criticism from Israeli leaders, cautioning Israel against attacking “the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.” The deal largely restores pre-war conditions without achieving a finalized peace settlement and defers nuclear negotiations indefinitely.
The book’s publication has sparked concerns within the Trump administration about classified information security. Administration officials believe the book may contain leaked secret recordings from the Situation Room, the highly secured area where the president addresses critical national security matters. An unnamed administration source told Axios, “We’re afraid some of our most sensitive conversations were being recorded, and we have no idea which ones.”
“Regime Change,” releasing Tuesday, also reportedly details internal conflict over handling the Epstein files, including a Situation Room meeting about the administration’s delayed release strategy. The book describes an incident in which then-FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino allegedly attacked then-Attorney General Pam Bondi over what he called the “dumb f***ing charade” of distributing early file batches to right-wing influencers while withholding broader releases for months.