The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Thursday evening that it launched a new wave of airstrikes against Iran, marking the fifth consecutive night of operations. Earlier Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the renewed strikes in Iran, rejecting claims of a disagreement between President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.
The allegations of a dispute between the American president and his deputy centered on their stances regarding the war with Iran and negotiations for an agreement with the ayatollah regime. These reports surfaced after Trump characterized talks with Iran a few days ago as a "waste of time," while Vance expressed frustration last night during an appearance on conservative media personality Joe Rogan's podcast regarding opposition to negotiations.
Vance told Joe Rogan in a podcast released yesterday that a Time article proves there was a foreign funded campaign to "tank the very deal (MOU) I was pursuing."
VP Vance to Rogan: "I definitely think you have seen this very discreet, extremely well funded campaign to try to… https://t.co/Iyn30xcTWd
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 16, 2026
The vice president has leveled accusations against certain members of the Israeli government, stating they are attempting to sway the perspectives of the American populace to extend the war with Iran. During his conversation with conservative talk-show host Joe Rogan, Vance said that although he maintains faith in particular individuals within the Israeli leadership, there are remaining factions "who are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely."
Vance claimed he doesn't mind "certain elements of the Israeli government" criticising the US position, saying that "foreign governments are trying to influence the government all the time."
"What bothers me is actually when Americans allow, meaning American leadership allows, that influence to affect their judgment and to affect what they are advocating for," he added.
Leavitt made it clear that these were "statements from different periods throughout the conflict," and emphasized that the president and his vice president are completely aligned on the matter. Responding to Vance's remarks, she said: "I think the president would certainly agree that, yes, foreign countries certainly do try to persuade American public opinion," though she did not explicitly confirm the allegation against Israel.
During his conversation with Rogan, Vance addressed conspiracy theories surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, alleging that he had ties to the "highest levels" of Israeli and American intelligence. Rogan said most of the public believes Epstein was a Mossad agent, "or CIA or some other deep state," to which Vance responded, "He clearly had connections to the upper, the highest levels of American intelligence. He clearly had connections to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence."
