U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Washington should continue to take Israel’s security concerns seriously, but that the ultimate standard in foreign policy should be U.S. national interests. In a podcast appearance on September 15, 2026, Vance said Donald Trump was ready to break with Netanyahu’s government when he saw a divergence between American interests and those of the Israeli government.
Vance argued that Trump was the U.S. president among recent presidents who had shown the greatest willingness to break with the Israeli government. Saying this approach did not mean ignoring Israel’s security concerns, Vance said the U.S. administration should make its decisions in line with Washington’s national interests.
Iran diplomacy widens the U.S.-Israel divide
Vance’s remarks came as differences between the Trump administration and Netanyahu’s government over the war with Iran and U.S. diplomatic initiatives became more pronounced. In June 2026, Vance had said that U.S. and Israeli interests did not always fully align and that Trump would follow American interests in such cases.
On June 18, Vance also targeted several officials in the Israeli government over their criticism of the agreement with Iran, saying that U.S. diplomatic and military support should not be disregarded. Vance alleged that some Israeli figures were trying to influence American public opinion against the agreement and wanted the war to continue.
In similar assessments in July 2026, Vance said that some figures in the Israeli government were trying to influence U.S. policy on Iran. The White House likewise shares Vance’s view that foreign countries are attempting to influence American public opinion.
Different priorities amid the continuing strategic partnership
Vance’s latest remarks do not mean that the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Israel has ended. The dispute centers on Iran diplomacy, the scope of military engagement and which priorities Washington will use as the basis for its foreign-policy decisions.
Within this framework, the Trump administration is signaling that it may pursue a course different from Tel Aviv’s expectations on the war with Iran and diplomatic agreements while maintaining its partnership with Israel. Vance’s assessment argues that the “America First” approach emphasizes the United States’ independence in strategic decision-making without rejecting support for Israel.
