Vice President JD Vance defended President Donald Trump’s approach to Iran during an interview on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher Friday night, pushing back after the host questioned whether claims surrounding the country’s nuclear program were credible.
Maher opened the discussion by saying he was “rooting” for America to succeed but expressed skepticism over the administration’s claims following negotiations with Iran. He argued that previous administrations had also spoken optimistically about progress and asked Vance why this time should be viewed differently.
“But look, you’re negotiating for America. I’m rooting for America, so I want success here,” Maher said. “But you know, you came out of these meetings, I heard sort of the same thing, I’ve heard a lot of talk about progress and that, I have heard it so many times before. Why is this different? Why isn’t it bullsh*t this time?”
Vance responded by pointing to oil prices as an indication that developments were having a real-world impact. He said those responsible for evaluating whether oil is flowing viewed the situation as a success, noting that oil prices had declined after previously rising.
“So there’s a signal that there’s something real going on here,” Vance said.
The vice president also discussed the memorandum of understanding, saying it calls for open shipping routes and continued oil flow while also establishing a ceasefire. He acknowledged that ceasefires involving Iran are “always going to [be] a little messy,” but argued that the broader objectives remain intact.
Vance said that even if a final agreement is never reached, the United States would still come out ahead because, in his view, Iran’s nuclear program has already been rendered ineffective and the country has been significantly weakened.
“My attitude is, America wins either way,” Vance said.
He also argued that President Trump has taken a different approach toward Iran than previous administrations over the past 47 years by offering the country an opportunity to change its relationship with the West.
“He’s saying, look, if they’re willing to change, we’re willing change too,” Vance said. “If they’re not willing to changed, we still fundamentally have all the cards and I think that’s a good place for us to be.”
Maher challenged Vance’s assertion that Iran’s nuclear program had been destroyed, arguing that inspectors had not entered the facilities.
“But their program isn’t destroyed,” Maher said. “How do we know that?”
Vance replied that the critical objective was eliminating Iran’s ability to enrich uranium, arguing that functioning centrifuges are necessary for that process and saying that capability had been destroyed.
Maher also questioned discussion surrounding efforts to gain access to Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, asking how officials could verify its status if inspectors had not entered the sites.
Vance responded that the enriched stockpile is a separate issue. He said previous administrations had allowed the material to accumulate over two decades and maintained that, even if it is never recovered, it is buried underground and cannot be turned into a nuclear weapon because Iran no longer has the capability to do so.
“So the program is functionally destroyed,” Vance said, adding that ongoing negotiations are focused on whether the United States can further set Iran back.
Maher concluded the exchange by noting that he had limited time remaining and wanted to move on to other topics.
