Washington has effectively destroyed Iran's nuclear program and hopes that Tehran will not restore it, which will give a chance for a settlement, said US Vice President J. D. Vance.
„We have destroyed Iran's nuclear program and we hope and expect that they have no intention of trying to restore it. "I think the president wants to achieve a long-term settlement to this situation so that there is peace in the region, so that our allies and American citizens are safe," he said in an interview with Fox News.
Vance claimed that "Iran was very close to having a nuclear weapon just a week ago" and now it will not be able to achieve that because the United States has destroyed the equipment necessary for that. "Now we must talk to Iran and Israel about what the future holds," the vice president concluded.
Democratic leaders in Congress on Monday asked the Washington administration to brief them on the threat that further Iranian retaliation could pose to the United States.
"I have asked the Trump administration for a confidential briefing that includes full details of the threat, intelligence on Iran's response, and details on the scope and timing of any U.S. response," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. "Most importantly, I have asked them to tell me exactly what steps they are taking now to ensure the safety of our service members."
"The Trump administration must not repeat the mistake it made this weekend when it launched strikes without providing any information to Congress. The Trump administration is required by law to consult with Congress. The Constitution requires it,” Schumer added.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also demanded that the administration brief lawmakers on the matter. “That hasn’t happened yet, and it’s not clear to me what the administration is hiding from Congress and the American people,” he said.