‘FINISH THE JOB’: Fmr VP Mike Pence urges Trump to help Israel destroy Iran nuclear threat quickly, even if it means attacking Fordow with US B2s and bunker buster bombs
Pence appears on my ‘Inside The Epicenter’ podcast
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — No one in the political world or international arena knows U.S. President Donald J. Trump better, or has spent more time with him in high-stakes military and geopolitical situations, than former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.
A devout Evangelical Christian and principled pro-Israel conservative, Pence was at Trump’s side – advising him every step of the way – when Trump ordered U.S. forces to assassinate Qassem Soleimani, Tehran’s top terror master.
When Trump tore up the fatally flawed nuclear deal with Iran negotiated by Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
When Trump imposed his “maximum pressure” campaign of crippling economic sanctions on Iran.
When Trump acknowledged Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the American embassy there.
When Trump recognized the Golan Heights as sovereign Israeli territory.
And when Trump brokered and signed the Abraham Accords, groundbreaking peace and normalization agreements between Israel and four Arab nations.
PENCE TALKS CANDIDLY ON JOSHUA FUND’S ‘INSIDE THE EPICENTER’ PODCAST
That’s why I invited him onto my “Inside The Epicenter” podcast – produced by The Joshua Fund and now in the top 1.5% of all podcasts in the world – to get his take on the raging missile war between Israel and Iran.
Specifically, I wanted to get the former vice president’s assessment of what Trump will do next and how he would advise the commander-in-chief if he were still at his side.
“I have ideas on what to do but I haven’t made a final [decision] – I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due, because things change, especially with war,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
“I may do it,” Trump said. “I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.”
Yesterday, Pence graciously agreed to come onto the podcast for the first time, and during our hour-long conversation, he answered my many questions candidly and directly.
“How would I advise the president?” Pence asked.
“Finish the job,” he replied.
“I would simply say that we need to – the United States of America needs to – continue to make it clear that we will give Israel whatever they need to finish the job,” Pence explained.
“Iran's never been in a more vulnerable position,” Pence argued during our conversation.
“Russia is distracted with its brutal and unprovoked invasion in Ukraine,” he noted.
There was the “collapse of the Assad regime in Syria.”
Then there was “Israel's brilliant efforts to take down the leadership of Hezbollah and, of course, Israel's ongoing efforts in Gaza to destroy Hamas once and for all in the aftermath of the horrific, horrific attack on October 7.”
“All of that, I think, creates an extraordinary moment here where my own personal position – where I in the Situation Room with the president – would be to simply say, ‘We need to be prepared to give Israel whatever it needs to finish once and for all the threat of a nuclear program in Iran.’”
“Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world. Their efforts, directly and indirectly, have claimed American lives. They threaten American lives.”
“So, I think it's in the interest of the United States of America simply to not just stand with Israel, not just provide that, but if we need to be prepared to give Israel the resources and the support to end the threat of a nuclear Iran once and for all,” even if that means direct American military involvement, including the use of B-2 stealth bombers and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs to destroy the hardened nuclear sites at Fordow and elsewhere in Iran.
Trump says he will make his decision very soon, certainly within the next two weeks.
ARE TUCKER CARLSON AND STEVE BANNON GOING TO SUCCEED IN PERSUADING TRUMP TO CUT ISRAEL LOOSE?
During the interview, Pence pushed back strongly against Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, and other “divergent voices in the administration.”
They are trying to persuade President Trump to cut Israel loose and not get directly involved in the fight to neutralize the Iranian nuclear and missile threat once and for all.
But Pence believes Trump is rejecting such counsel.
Last week, Trump openly criticized “kooky Tucker Carlson” for sounding like he’s fine with Iran obtaining nuclear weapons.
“Is President Trump going to drop the bomb – not a nuclear bomb, but a 30,000-pound bunker-buster bomb fired from stealth jets – on Iranian nuclear sites to finish the job?” I asked. “Or is his perspective just to give Israel every assistance they need without direct military involvement?”
“You know Donald Trump better than anybody in the political world,” I observed. “You've spent so much time with him and working on the Iran file for all the years you were in office. So, what is your sense of what he's going to do?”
“Well, first, let me say, we grieve the loss of innocent life in Israel with the brutal attacks, even a missile landing on a hospital in Israel,” the former VP replied.
He said that “horrified people across America as we went to bed last night.”
“You're very gracious about my support for Israel over my 20-year career in public life,” Pence added.
“But I want to assure your viewers, I'm very typical – and not just of Republicans and conservatives, but I think of the overwhelming majority of America.”
Most Americans, he said, “consider Israel our most cherished ally.”
“So, the first thing I would say to any of your viewers or listeners is, while a week ago Israel acted alone, just be assured Israel is not alone. And you have the support of the American people.”
“I couldn't be more grateful that President Donald Trump has stood so clearly behind Israel's necessary action,” Pence said, praising Trump’s resilience despite the pressure coming from Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, and others.
“I know President Trump, as you said, probably better than his most ardent defenders. And he considers acts of war to be a last resort – but it is a resort.”
PENCE: TRUMP GAVE IRAN A PEACEFUL PATH BUT THE MULLAHS REJECTED IT
Pence noted that Trump had wanted a peaceful path and a strong, verifiable deal with Iran.
“He gave Iran 60 days” to make a deal.
“He traveled to Saudi Arabia and Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in May to shore up Arab support for taking a strong posture against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.”
“I was disappointed that the president did not go to Israel on that trip, but clearly there was a repeated effort by President Trump to make it clear that there was an olive branch to Iran, that there was a peaceful path to resolution of this, but nothing short of dismantling or destroying the Iranian nuclear program in its entirety was an acceptable outcome.”
Yet the Supreme Leader of Iran rejected these overtures.
“And when they dismissed negotiations that would result in the elimination of any nuclear enrichment program, the 61st day arrived, Israel took its necessary action – action I believe for which it had no choice – and the American people, and I'm proud to say President Donald Trump, made it clear that we stand with Israel in this moment.”
PENCE: TRUMP IS VERY SERIOUS ABOUT PREVENTING A NUCLEAR-ARMED IRAN
“Israel's actions over the skies of Tehran a week ago sent a deafening message to the world that Iran will never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.”
“President Trump, again and again – in our administration and since – has reiterated that America will stand with Israel. America will never tolerate a nation that has breathed out, ‘Death to Israel and death to America,’ to obtain the power and ferocity of nuclear weapons. It's simply unacceptable and unattainable.”
“Now it's important that America make it clear that we'll stand with Israel until they achieve the objectives of this mission.”
Trump might obtain “an absolute, unconditional surrender by Iran and verifiable dismantlement of any nuclear enrichment program.”
That would be ideal, Pence said.
“But short of that, we need to be prepared to do whatever Israel needs support doing to eliminate that nuclear program once and for all.”
“Israel has always made it clear that it wants the support to defend itself by itself. And the people of the United States have been extraordinary and continue to be extraordinarily generous in providing resources to Israel.
“As you said, there are divergent voices within the Republican Party today that have advocated pulling back from America’s role as leader of the free world, whether it be in Eastern Europe and the Asia-Pacific, or as has become clear in the last week, in Israel and in the Middle East,” Pence noted.
But, again, he doesn’t believe Trump is taking those voices seriously.
EVANGELICALS, PLEASE PRAY WITHOUT CEASING
You can listen to my full conversation with former Vice President Mike Pence on the “Inside The Epicenter” podcast.
It is available on all major platforms and wherever you enjoy downloading and listening to podcasts.
In the meantime, I ask all Evangelical Christians to pray without ceasing.
Here’s a new video we created to give people ideas on how best to pray.
Joel C. Rosenberg is the editor-in-chief of ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS and the President and CEO of Near East Media. A New York Times best-selling author, Middle East analyst, and Evangelical leader, he lives in Jerusalem with his wife and sons.
