Haberman: Vance’s opposition to Iran war cost him with Trump

Administration Haberman: Vance’s opposition to Iran war cost him with Trump Comments: by Ashleigh Fields - 06/29/26 10:32 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Ashleigh Fields - 06/29/26 10:32 AM ET Comments: Link copied

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New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman on Sunday said Vice President Vance’s opposition to the Iran war was unique among President Trump’s advisers, and ultimately hurt his relationship with the commander in chief.

“Vance was the only one who really vocally took issue with this with Trump. And it irritated Trump, it cost Vance with Trump, but he was the only person who was really sort of rattling the cages,” Haberman said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“There were other advisers who did make cases against this. We should note that [Joint Chiefs Chair of Staff Gen.] Dan Caine did lay out the scenarios for what could happen, munitions depletion, which clearly the U.S. has seen in a real way despite the fact that the administration keeps insisting otherwise,” she added.

Haberman said Caine warned that Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz.

“So, the president will keep saying he wasn’t warned — he absolutely was warned. But Dan Caine is not Mark Milley of Term 1. He is not engaging in these angry arguments with Donald Trump, and you see that play out,” she told guest host Ryan Nobles, referring to Caine’s successor in the top military post, who often clashed with Trump.

In their forthcoming book, “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump,” Haberman and fellow Times reporter Jonathan Swan write that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who might have raised concerns about the impact on energy markets and the economy, weren’t privy to talks surrounding strikes on Iran.

Vance has long opposed foreign wars, and in an October 2024 interview with comedian Tim Dillon, he warned a conflict with Iran would be a “huge distraction” and “massively expensive.”

The vice president is leading negotiations with Iran, after the U.S. agreed to a 60-day memorandum of understanding meant to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to global shipping. Trump joked earlier this month that if a long-term peace deal falls through, he’ll blame Vance for the foreign policy flop.

The negotiations are off to a rocky start, but they are set to resume on Tuesday after the U.S. and Iran traded fire over the weekend, with Tehran seeking to impose its authority over the key waterway. Continued fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon has also posed a major hurdle to diplomatic progress.

Vance has remained publicly supportive of the war despite his past and private concerns.

However, former ardent Trump supporters including Tucker Carlson and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) have become outspoken critics of the president and the party over the conflict in the Middle East.

There’s also mounting concerns over its toll on America’s military readiness, with reporting that it will take three years or more to replenish the advanced weapons used by the U.S. during the Iran war.