Pence says US ‘needs to be prepared' to help Israel destroy Iranian nuclear program
Former Vice President Pence on Sunday said that the United States 'needs to be prepared' to help Israel destroy the Iranian nuclear program.
'If Israel needs our help to ensure that the Iranian nuclear program is destroyed once and for all, the United States of America needs to be prepared to do it, because this — this is about protecting our most cherished ally,' Pence told CNN's Dana Bash on 'State of the Union.'
On Thursday overnight, Israel bombarded Iran, moving forward with its largest-ever military operation against its common Middle East rival and upending a push from President Trump for a nuclear deal with Iran.
The U.S. attempted to quickly distance itself from the strikes that targeted critical nuclear facilities and killed Iran's top military leaders. However, Trump administration officials were reportedly briefed on plans prior to the strikes.
Iran later retaliated by launching swarms of drones following the Israeli military strikes. On Sunday, the conflict had stretched into its third day.
'They've been working on intercontinental ballistic missiles that could reach the United States,' Pence said of Iran on Sunday.
On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the U.S. did not take part in the Israeli strikes inside Iran.
'Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,' Rubio said via a statement.
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