Pence Calls More Strikes Inside Iran 'Inevitable'

Pence Calls More Strikes Inside Iran 'Inevitable'

The News

Former Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday that the United States and Israel will have to take further military action inside Iran, calling that step "inevitable."

Pence made the remarks on CNN's "State of the Union," speaking from Kyiv, as the conflict with Iran approaches its six-month mark.

He argued Iranian leadership has not accepted the reality on the battlefield, and said keeping U.S. military assets in the region is "absolutely imperative."

Pence, a longtime Iran hawk, implied that ground forces would be required to "go in and finish the job," according to The Independent.

Timeline

Early July:

U.S. and Iranian forces have exchanged strikes since early July, despite a pause in the fighting.

This past week:

A 60-day U.S.-Iran ceasefire memorandum expired with no new deal in place.

Wednesday:

President Trump threatened economic consequences for any country that aids Iran.

This weekend:

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would not come "humiliated before the enemy."

Sunday:

Pence tells CNN further action inside Iran is "inevitable."

Reactions

Pence pushed back on the argument that the Iran war is hurting Ukraine by draining U.S. weapons stockpiles, denying that the campaign has come at Kyiv's expense, The Hill reported.

Pezeshkian's line that Iran will not appear "humiliated before the enemy" signals Tehran is not preparing to concede.

Coverage of Pence's remarks splits on emphasis: one account centers the domestic political pressure on Trump over a war officials predicted would last weeks, another centers the lapsed ceasefire and the economic escalation that followed.

What's Next

The Trump administration is intensifying economic sanctions against Iran.

No public negotiations between Washington and Tehran have been reported, and no third party has been named as a broker for a new ceasefire.

The open question is what military action, if any, the administration is actually planning inside Iran.

More

Trump faces growing domestic unpopularity tied to the war. Pence's call for escalation puts a prominent Republican voice on the record demanding more, not less, at the moment the ceasefire framework has lapsed and both sides are still trading fire.

Poll suggestion: Should the U.S. take further military action inside Iran?

Colleges Condemn Students Mocking Kirk Assassination Anniversary

Charleston White Arrested Again on Florida Battery Charge

Border Patrol Rescues MS NOW Crew in Desert

Supreme Court Restores Missouri's Old House Map

Alaska Drops Felony Voter Charges Against Samoans

Trespasser Breaches Harris' Malibu Estate; No Arrest

Hegseth Pressed Downed Airmen Into 60 Minutes

Houthis Seize Mokha, Choking Saudi Oil Exports

Altman Rules Out OpenAI IPO This Year

Jury Acquits Lil Durk in Murder-for-Hire Case

Judge: Trump Broke Law Halving FEMA Staff

Maher Calls Democrats' Gaza Genocide Claim a Lie

Blizzard Revives StarCraft, Sends Diablo to Netflix

Trump's Queens Childhood Home Sells for $1.93M

Scientists Find New Virus in Tick Invading US

Britain Bans Settlement Imports; US States Threaten Payback

Prison Fire Kills 7 as Kurds Protest Killing

Kosovo Rallies for Ex-President Before Hague Verdict

Cruz Booed at GameDay Over College Sports Bill

Blast Hits Bulgarian Arms Plant Supplying Ukraine