--- title: Is the U.S. at War With Iran? Vance Answers as Threats Mount description: We're not at war with Iran, we're at war with Iran's nuclear program," said Vance. canonical: https://time.com/7296602/united-states-iran-war-jd-vance-terrorism-threat/ author: Rebecca Schneid article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-06-22T20:41:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-11T00:59:41.597Z article:section: Politics og:title: Is the U.S. at War With Iran? Vance Answers as Threats Mount og:description: We're not at war with Iran, we're at war with Iran's nuclear program," said Vance. og:url: https://time.com/7296602/united-states-iran-war-jd-vance-terrorism-threat/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2cc74d17858d461b/6998c7b19fbc7c5aaed9a344/Screenshot-2025-06-22-at-22.02.02.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1526 og:image:height: 858 og:image:alt: President Trump Meets With El Salvador President Nayib Bukele At The White House og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Is the U.S. at War With Iran? Vance Answers as Threats Mount twitter:description: We're not at war with Iran, we're at war with Iran's nuclear program," said Vance. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2cc74d17858d461b/6998c7b19fbc7c5aaed9a344/Screenshot-2025-06-22-at-22.02.02.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Vance Says U.S. 'Not at War With Iran' But a 'Heightened Threat Environment' Advisory Highlights Concern > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Jun 22, 2025 8:41 PM UTC  Vice President J.D. Vance and U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on April 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Vice President J.D. Vance and U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on April 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Win McNamee—Getty Images  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Jun 22, 2025 8:41 PM UTC Vice President J.D. Vance has said that the United States is “not at war with Iran,” despite [U.S. strikes targeting](https://time.com/7296469/u-s-strikes-iran-nuclear-trump-war/) three key Iranian nuclear sites in what President Donald Trump called a "very successful attack." “We're not at war with Iran, we're at war with Iran's nuclear program,” Vance said on Sunday during [an appearance on NBC’s _Meet the Press_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZpRbo7RD%5FY). He doubled down on his point in other interviews throughout the day. Vance’s response comes after Iran issued a furious warning to the U.S. The Iranian ambassador to the U.N., Amir Saeid Iravani, [called for an emergency U.N. meeting](https://x.com/Iran%5FUN/status/1936667567759724547) to ensure "that the perpetrator of such heinous crimes is held fully accountable and does not go unpunished." **Read More**: [_Iran Delivers Furious Warning, Speaks of ‘Unprecedented Level of Danger and Chaos’ After ‘Heinous’ U.S. Strikes_](https://time.com/7296512/iran-responds-united-states-strikes-trump-nuclear-sites-warning/) When addressing the nation in a televised address on Saturday night, Trump—flanked by Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—warned Iran that if they were to retaliate, the U.S. would pursue other targets with "speed" and "precision." Now, with tensions seemingly at an all-time high, [a National Terrorism Advisory published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)](https://www.dhs.gov/ntas/advisory/national-terrorism-advisory-system-bulletin-june-22-2025) on Sunday has added to the mounting concern. The notice, titled “Summary of the Threat to the United States,” stated that the Iran conflict is "causing a heightened threat environment." “Low-level cyber attacks against U.S. networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against U.S. networks,” the advisory warned. “Iran also has a long-standing commitment to target US Government officials it views as responsible for the death of an Iranian military commander killed in January 2020.” [Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani](https://time.com/magazine/south-pacific/5762084/january-20th-2020-vol-195-no-1-international/) was assassinated on Jan. 3, 2020 by a drone missile strike ordered by Trump during his first term as President. Soleimani’s death threatened to heighten tensions between the U.S. and Iran back in 2020, and some Iranian officials [have since called for Trump to be put on trial](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-vows-revenge-soleimani-killing-if-trump-not-put-trial-2022-01-03/) or face revenge from Tehran. The advisory went on to say that “hacktivists and Iranian government-affiliated actors” often target “poorly secured U.S. networks and Internet-connected devices for disruptive cyber attacks.” It added that U.S. law enforcement has “disrupted multiple potentially lethal Iranian-backed plots in the United States since 2020\. During this timeframe, the Iranian government has also unsuccessfully targeted critics of its regime who are based in the Homeland for lethal attack.” A final warning stated that the ongoing conflict could also “motivate violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators seeking to attack targets perceived to be Jewish, pro-Israel, or linked to the U.S. government or military in the Homeland.” **Read More**: [_How U.S. Strikes May Have Inadvertently Helped the Iranian Regime_ ](https://time.com/7296554/us-strikes-iranian-regime-benefits/) ## **Amid concerns of a threat to the U.S., how have U.S. lawmakers responded to the strikes on Iran?** Some in Trump’s inner circle have praised his decision to strike Iran. "Good. This was the right call. The regime deserves it. Well done,” [said Sen. Lindsey Graham](https://x.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1936575906455146590), a South Carolina Republican. Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee echoed Trump’s words, saying that “[peace can only be achieved through strength](https://x.com/MarshaBlackburn/status/1936581237193486748).” But many other U.S. lawmakers—both Republicans and Democrats—have outwardly disagreed with Trump, with some even calling for his impeachment, since Congress was reportedly not consulted about the decision. During a rally on his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour over the weekend, Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont [called the strikes "grossly unconstitutional"](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KakJRsqFdVM) as the crowd in Oklahoma chanted “no more war.” “All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the U.S. Congress. The President does not have the right,” Sanders maintained. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a Democrat who has been on the tour with Sanders, [argued that](https://x.com/AOC/status/1936600627221565468) the strikes are “absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer both condemned Trump’s actions and called for Congress to be briefed. [In a statement](https://jeffries.house.gov/2025/06/21/leader-jeffries-statement-on-trumps-unilateral-military-action-in-iran/), Jeffries said that Trump “failed to deliver” on his promise of peace in the Middle East. “The risk of war has now dramatically increased, and I pray for the safety of our troops in the region who have been put in harm’s way,” he said. **Read More**: [_In Bombing Iran, Trump Looked Past 80 Years of U.S. Regime Change Mistakes_](https://time.com/7296013/trump-strike-iran-war-regime-change/) And the outrage has not just fallen on Democrats. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky said the military action was “[not constitutional](https://x.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1936574721312923803).” Trump responded with a [lengthy post on Truth Social](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114728311939211877), stating that his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement “doesn’t want \[Massie\], doesn’t know him, and doesn’t respect him.” He said that Massie is “disrespectful to \[America’s\] great military, and all that they stand for, not even acknowledging their brilliance and bravery in yesterday’s attack, which was a total and complete WIN.” Meanwhile, Massie [replied to a post](https://x.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1936714706770624752) from Speaker Mike Johnson via social media, asking: “Why didn’t you call us back from vacation to vote on military action if there was a serious threat to our country?” As many world leaders remain “[gravely alarmed](https://time.com/7296530/united-states-strikes-iran-world-leaders-react/)” over the strikes and the increasing instability in the Middle East and beyond, the U.S. awaits a potential response from Iran, something Trump [maintains](https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/trump-administration-warns-iran-retaliation-would-be-terrible-mistake-242050629837) would be a “terrible mistake.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7296602/united-states-iran-war-jd-vance-terrorism-threat/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7296602/united-states-iran-war-jd-vance-terrorism-threat/"},"headline":"Vance Says U.S. 'Not at War With Iran' But a 'Heightened Threat Environment' Advisory Highlights Concern","datePublished":"2025-06-22T20:41:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-11T00:59:41.597Z","description":"We're not at war with Iran, we're at war with Iran's nuclear program,\" said Vance.","url":"https://time.com/7296602/united-states-iran-war-jd-vance-terrorism-threat/","keywords":["Trump Administration","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2cc74d17858d461b/6998c7b19fbc7c5aaed9a344/Screenshot-2025-06-22-at-22.02.02.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rebecca Schneid","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2cc74d17858d461b/6998c7b19fbc7c5aaed9a344/Screenshot-2025-06-22-at-22.02.02.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Trump Meets With El Salvador President Nayib Bukele At The White House","caption":"President Trump Meets With El Salvador President Nayib Bukele At The White House","creditText":"Win McNamee—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/trump-administration/","name":"Trump Administration"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7296602/united-states-iran-war-jd-vance-terrorism-threat/","name":"Vance Says U.S. 'Not at War With Iran' But a 'Heightened Threat Environment' Advisory Highlights Concern"}}]}] ```