In Tuesday's vice presidential debate, Democratic Governor Tim Walz dodged the question of supporting a preemptive Israeli strike on Iran, while Republican Senator JD Vance declared that the decision should rest entirely with Israel.
Just hours before the debate, Iran launched its largest attack on Israel, firing over 180 ballistic missiles. The escalation followed Israel's targeted assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon and a key commander of Iran’s IRGC.
With the latest developments shaping the debate, CBS moderator Margaret Brennan opened by asking Democratic VP candidate Walz whether, as the final voice in the Situation Room, he would support or oppose a preemptive Israeli strike on Iran.
Republican VP candidate JD Vance, in turn, said it is up to Israel to keep its country safe – and that the US should support its allies wherever they are when they’re fighting adversaries.
The bestselling author and military veteran, started his response by accusing the current administration for providing Tehran with sanctions relief, which he argued helped bolster Iran’s arsenal.
“Iran, which launched this attack, has received over $100 billion in unfrozen assets thanks to the Kamala Harris administration. What do they use that money for? They use it to buy weapons that they're now launching against our allies and, God forbid, potentially launching against the United States as well,” Vance told the moderators.
However, it should be noted that the Biden administration released $16 billion in frozen assets from South Korea and Iraq, while it failed to enforce oil export sanctions on Iran, which generated additional tens of billion dollars.
Walz avoided directly addressing the allegation of sanctions relief and asset unfreezing, instead criticizing Trump for exiting the Iran nuclear deal without offering a replacement, which he argued brought Iran closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon.
In September of 2023, the US issued a sanctions waiver for banks to transfer $6 billions of frozen Iranian funds from South Korea to Qatar, paving the way for the release of five Americans held by Iran. Many Republicans condemned the transfer arguing that President Joe Biden paid a "ransom to the world's worst state sponsor of terrorism". Democrats meanwhile, defended the action claiming that Iran could only use the money for humanitarian trade.
Walz also referenced the April military clash between Israel and Iran, noting that despite Iran's large-scale retaliation, Israel and its allies successfully intercepted most of the missiles, minimizing the damage.
“Steady leadership like you witnessed today, like you witnessed in April. Both Iranian attacks were repelled. Our coalition is strong, and we need the steady leadership that Kamala Harris is providing,” Walz said.
In his final comments on Iran, Vance rejected Walz’s criticism, arguing that Iran’s nuclear advances and the October 7th attacks occurred under the Biden-Harris administration, not Trump’s.
He also defended Trump’s foreign policy, portraying it as more effective in ensuring global stability – arguing that the former President’s communication style is irrelevant to real outcomes.
“So Governor Walz can criticize Donald Trump's tweets, but effective, smart diplomacy and peace through strength is how you bring stability back to a very broken world,” Vance said.
