Vance: Netanyahu ‘certainly got some things wrong’

Vice President JD Vance says Israel’s prime minister “certainly got some things wrong” while calling him a “good partner” of the United States.

By World Israel News Staff

Vice President JD Vance said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “certainly gotten some things wrong” in his handling of relations with Washington during the conflict with Iran, while stressing that the Israeli leader remains “a good partner” of the United States.

Vance made the comments in an interview with CBS News released Wednesday, as the Trump administration continues to pursue a nuclear agreement with Tehran despite signs of disagreement with Israel over the scope and timing of military action.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu, look, he governs a country that has obviously been a very close partner of the United States,” Vance told Robert Costa. “But, even when we’ve been close partners, sometimes we have interests that are perfectly aligned and sometimes we have interests that are misaligned.”

Vance said Netanyahu “aggressively asserts the interests of his country,” but added that the Trump administration would prioritize American interests when the two governments diverge.

“Sometimes that means we’re on the same page and sometimes it means that we’re not,” Vance said. “Where that diverges, we, unfortunately for the Israelis, have to choose the side of the American people, which we always do.”

Asked whether Netanyahu had made mistakes in dealing with the United States over Iran, Vance said, “He’s certainly gotten some things wrong,” but declined to specify, saying such discussions were “better left in private.”

“But what I would say is that he’s been a good partner,” Vance continued. “We’re gonna keep on working together. But where interests diverge, the United States is gonna pursue the best interests of our nation, and that’s how it’s gonna be.”

The remarks followed similar comments Vance made Monday on Fox News, where he said the United States and Israel share many objectives but are not identical in their approach to Iran.

“The Israelis and the United States, we have a lot of shared interests,” Vance said. “But we also have some situations where our interests diverge, and I think where the president has been very clear here is that while Israel obviously has some objectives that it has, the United States’ main objective in Iran is to ensure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon.”

Vance said the administration believes it has created “the space necessary” to reach a long-term settlement over Iran’s nuclear program.

“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,” he said. “So we’re going to keep on pursuing it, because that’s what the president of the United States was elected to do.”

The comments come amid public signs of disagreement between Trump and Netanyahu over how to respond to Iranian attacks and whether continued military escalation could jeopardize negotiations.

Axios reported Sunday that Trump told Netanyahu not to retaliate against Iran’s missile attack and to allow more time for diplomacy. According to the report, Trump told Netanyahu that Washington was “close to doing something good in terms of a deal.”

Trump also told the Financial Times that Netanyahu would have “no choice” but to accept any agreement Washington reaches with Tehran.

“I call the shots. I call all the shots,” Trump said. “He doesn’t call the shots.”

Trump said Iran’s attacks would not derail his effort to reach an agreement, adding, “I think the deal is going on. We’ll see what happens.”