Vice President Vance directly contacts U.S. military commanders to review Iran war situation

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Go Il-hwan = It has been reported that U.S. Vice President JD Vance directly contacted U.S. military commanders around the world to hear their evaluation of the progress of the war with Iran.

The American daily New York Times (NYT) reported on the 10th (local time), citing former and current government officials, that Vice President Vance has been making direct calls to U.S. military commanders in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia since this spring.

Officials explained that Vice President Vance wanted to hear directly the voices of front-line commanders rather than reports delivered from the Department of Defense.

In a phone call with the commander, Vice President Vance evaluated the goals, tactics, and casualties of the war, as well as asked questions about Iran's response capabilities and the Strait of Hormuz issue.

In particular, he checked how transferring weapons to the Middle East would affect deterrence against China, Russia, and North Korea.

It is said that what commanders were most concerned about was the inventory issue of Patriot interceptor missiles, the core of the air defense network.

Some commanders reported to Vice President Vance that critical munitions stocks were at the lowest they had ever seen.

There were also reports that the inventory of Patriot interceptor missiles in certain regions had decreased to less than 100, and that the inventory of ATACMS and the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) developed to replace it had decreased significantly.

The NYT reported that through these reports, Vice President Vance had serious concerns about America's war strategy and the possibility of victory.

In particular, it is known that the Iranian regime has the ability to withstand greater damage than expected, while the United States has limited defensive weapons to respond to Iran's retaliatory attacks and threats from other regions.

Vice President Vance conveyed this judgment to President Donald Trump and key advisors.

President Trump also received a report from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Cain about the decline in the U.S. weapons inventory and the Iranian military's response capabilities, but he reportedly found it difficult to believe it at first.

When President Trump started the war in February, he predicted that the Iranian regime would collapse within a few days.

The U.S. Department of Defense initially expected the war to last about six weeks.

In April, President Trump instructed Vice President Vance, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff to pursue negotiations with Iran to end the war.

It has not been confirmed to what extent Vice President Vance's report had an impact on President Trump's search for a diplomatic solution.

However, the NYT assessed that Vice President Vance is deeply involved in national security policy within the Trump administration in the wake of the Iran war.

Vice President Vance initially opposed war with Iran, but publicly defended it after President Trump decided to start a war.

However, it is said that he had a detailed understanding of the situation, including direct contact with Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analysts behind the scenes and even receiving daily reports on ship movements in the Strait of Hormuz.