16.07.2026 00:50
US Vice President JD Vance admitted that the government mishandled the process of releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files. Commenting on allegations that the documents were used for blackmail against President Donald Trump and his administration, Vance stated that Epstein had very deep connections with all sectors in the US and, in particular, with "Israeli deep state elements and the center-left of Israeli politics."
U.S. Vice President JD Vance answered questions on U.S.-Israel relations, the Epstein files, and other topics during a YouTube broadcast hosted by famous American podcast host Joe Rogan.
Noting that the Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway, Vance said that stopping the flow of traffic there would mean a 25% cut in the world's energy supply.
Vance argued that the U.S. could prevent attacks on commercial vessels there, emphasizing that military force is one way but diplomacy is also an option.
Highlighting the importance of talking to the other party, Vance stated that some people expect them to just bomb rather than talk.
"WE WILL TRY TO USE OUR MILITARY FORCE AS ONE OF MANY TOOLS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM"
Vance continued: "What the President has done, I think very skillfully, is to say that when we are in a situation where we are trying to achieve something, we will use military force. So if you fire on ships, we will fire on the facilities from which you fire on ships. But we will not do that indefinitely. We will not just keep bombing. We will try to use our military force as one of many tools we have to solve the problem."
Emphasizing that the decision of the Iranian people to revolt and change their government belongs to the Iranians themselves, Vance said, "We will not send 150,000 ground troops to bring about a regime change unless the people themselves want that outcome. Now, we are not sending troops anyway, but proposing to send troops means saying 'basically the U.S. military should do this for the Iranian people.' We don't do that anymore, absolutely not."
Vance stressed that they currently aim to open the straits and ensure the free flow of oil and natural gas, and they want to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapons program, using diplomacy and military force to achieve this.
ISRAEL'S ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE AMERICAN POLITICS
Stating that with the agreement between the U.S. and Iran, his country aims to work not only with Iran but also with Arab states in the Gulf, Vance said that Gulf countries have sent them a message: "If the Iranians are truly willing to change their behavior, we would like to invest in rebuilding their country."
Vance said, "If Iran changes its attitude towards Gulf Arab countries, this is essentially a matter between Iranians and Gulf Arab countries. There is a clause in the Memorandum of Understanding that basically says: if Iran fulfills all its obligations, we will allow other countries to invest in Iran. That's it."
Arguing that the public views the prospect of reaching a final solution on this matter positively, Vance stated that they are not in favor of "long-term, open-ended regime change wars in the Middle East."
Vance said, "There is a lot of talk about how much the Israeli government influences American politics, and there are some people within the Israeli government who hate the agreement. We see concrete evidence of this."
Pointing to "a very secret, extremely well-funded campaign" aimed at sabotaging negotiations with Iran and preventing an agreement, Vance emphasized that while there are criticisms on social media against him for not negotiating with Iran, his goal is to make an agreement that aligns with U.S. objectives.
Vance said: "Foreign governments are constantly trying to influence the U.S. Israel does it, other countries do it—that's the nature of the business. What bothers me is that Americans, leading figures in U.S. politics, allow this influence to affect their judgment and what they advocate. That's what bothers me. People will always try to influence the U.S., whether they are our allies or our enemies."
EMPHASIS THAT ISRAEL HAS LOST INFLUENCE OVER U.S. PUBLIC OPINION
Vance emphasized that Israel "lost the battle for U.S. public opinion," noting that this was previously stated publicly by Trump.
Vance stated that Israel is an ally like France or England, saying, "We will have disagreements and agreements with them. There will be areas where our interests align and where they diverge."
Noting that Israel is more effective than most countries in trying to influence U.S. politics, Vance expressed that it is natural for Israel to try to pull Americans in one direction or another.
Vance stated that there are people within the Israeli government who oppose the U.S. policy towards Iran and want to continue military action, saying, "The Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. is a really good person, I think. Obviously, he cares about Israel first. I care about America first. But we know for sure that within their system, there are some people who manipulate American public opinion and try to change it to continue the war indefinitely."
"TRUMP IS COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT OF ISRAEL'S INFLUENCE"
In response to the question "Would the U.S. have started this war in Iran without Israel's influence?", Vance answered, "I think the President believes very strongly, completely independently of any influence from Israel."
Rejecting rumors that Trump was "forced into this by blackmail from Israelis," Vance said, "That is absolutely not true. I have closely seen the decision-making process. Whether or not you participate in our negotiations doesn't matter. The idea that Trump was forced by blackmail seems very absurd to me."
Noting that "a foreign influence campaign is being funded to derail the negotiations with Iran," Vance said, "There is a real foreign influence campaign funded specifically to undermine the agreement I am pursuing."
Vance stated that a former campaign staffer, "paid by some elements within the Israeli government," has been attacking him for continuing negotiations with Iran, saying, "They are obsessively attacking me, saying we shouldn't negotiate with Iran."
WERE THE EPSTEIN FILES BLACKMAIL?
Vance touched on the impact of the files concerning billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in prison while being tried for allegedly running a sex trafficking network involving underage girls, on U.S. foreign policy.
Regarding allegations that the Epstein files were used "as blackmail to force the Trump administration into attacks on Iran," Vance stated that the U.S. government "messed up the communication" regarding the release of the Epstein files.
Vance said, "The reason was that Pam Bondi (then US Attorney General) said 'the client list is on my desk,' right? I love Pam, I don't think she had any ill intent. I think Pam was trying to give a political response. I think she overstated what we had and what we didn't."
"EPSTEIN HAD MUCH DEEPER CONNECTIONS WITH THE CENTER-LEFT IN ISRAEL"
Stating that he has "not seen a single credible piece of evidence" that the US President engaged in misconduct with minors, Vance said, "If they want to say we mishandled the Epstein investigation, then yes, we are guilty."
Noting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is not a very popular person in the US right now," Vance stated that Epstein was seen to be "connected with elements of the Israeli deep state."
Vance said, "I've always found this fascinating. (Epstein) wasn't super connected with the center-right wing of Israeli politics. In America, he was connected with people from all walks of life. He had Republican friends and Democratic friends. In Israel, he had much deeper connections with the center-left rather than the center-right."
"I HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO INVESTIGATE THE UFO ISSUE"
Explaining that, due to his role as Vice President in the US, he has "access to nearly unlimited information" and communicates with senators to pass legislation, Vance noted:
"You're negotiating with Iranians, Cubans, or Israelis about what's happening in the Middle East, and much of it, like the UFO issue—I said I would investigate the UFO issue, and I've been saying that for 1.5 years, but I haven't done it yet because I haven't had time."