US-Israel War with Iran: Where is JD Vance? The curious case of the 'missing' vice president

The article traces how Vice President JD Vance's political career shifted from critic of Donald Trump to a prominent defender of the Trump movement.

“In the 19th century, Otto von Bismarck famously observed that politics is “the art of the possible, the attainable — the art of the next best””

The Times of India

Despite that trajectory, he was notably absent from the public defence of the Trump administration's strikes on Iranian military infrastructure and elements of its nuclear programme.

The Times of India

The White House framed the campaign as a limited operation to degrade Tehran's capabilities and prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, and senior officials appeared on television and at press briefings to defend the decision.

According to the Financial Times, Vance "made no public comment on the military campaign for nearly 72 hours," an unusual silence given that vice presidents have traditionally been among the most visible political advocates during moments of war.

Instead, defence secretary Pete Hegseth emerged as the administration's most visible champion of the operation.

The Sunday Times said he was "tasked with selling the conflict to a sceptical American audience" while "JD Vance stays in the shadows."

The Times of India

Hegseth, a former National Guard officer who later became a Fox News host, used combative rhetoric.

Hegseth said, for example, "They are toast and they know it," "Death and destruction from the sky. All day long," and "America is winning decisively, devastatingly, and without mercy."

Roger Stahl, a University of Georgia professor, told The Sunday Times: "The level of moral justification we're being given is zero," and characterised the messaging as a demonstration of US military power rather than a moral crusade.

The article links JD Vance's low profile to his long-standing skepticism about foreign interventions.

“In the 19th century, Otto von Bismarck famously observed that politics is “the art of the possible, the attainable — the art of the next best””

The Times of India

A Marine veteran who served in Iraq, he has warned against getting dragged into prolonged Middle Eastern conflicts, saying "The idea that we're going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight — there is no chance that will happen."

Observers had previously noted his absence during a US operation targeting Venezuela's leadership, with The New Yorker and the Wall Street Journal reporting a limited public role, while White House officials insisted he had been involved behind the scenes.

Now, while Vance has publicly echoed the administration's hard line — "The principle is very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon" — he must balance loyalty to the administration with the populist anti-intervention identity that helped propel his rise as a 40‑year‑old potential presidential candidate.

That balance is leaving Washington asking: Where exactly is JD Vance?