JD Vance: 'Toppling Khamenei's regime is the Iranians’ business'
JD Vance noted that the US is focused on preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear capabilities
A change of direction? US Vice President JD Vance addressed tensions in the Middle East and the protests in Iran on Wednesday, saying that if the Iranian people want to overthrow the Khamenei regime, “that’s their business.” Vance stressed that the US is focused on preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
The remarks by Vice President Vance come just hours before the Trump-Netanyahu summit. Earlier on Wednesday, President Donald Trump told Fox News that he prefers to reach a deal with Iran: “No nuclear, no missiles.” However, he said he does not know whether such a deal is possible. “They have been unfair with us over the years,” he added.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump are expected to meet at 18:00 Israel time.
According to Western intelligence sources, Iran has recently accelerated its ballistic missile program. Foreign sources estimate that the country could possess about 2,000 missiles in the near term.
The decision to move the meeting up by a week comes as Netanyahu believes that waiting until the original date could be too late, given the intelligence reports on Iran’s missile program that he plans to present to President Trump.
Before his departure, Netanyahu issued a statement outlining the issues to be discussed. “On this trip we will discuss a series of issues: Gaza, the region, but of course first and foremost the negotiations with Iran. I will present to the president our positions regarding the principles in the negotiations, the important principles, and, in my view, they are important not only for Israel but for anyone in the world who wants peace and security in the Middle East,” he said.