Former Vice President Mike Pence called on President Donald Trump to move away from diplomatic efforts and authorize expanded military action against Iran's nuclear facilities and military capabilities.
Speaking on Fox News Channel's "America's Newsroom," Pence responded to host Bill Hemmer's question about a recent poll in which 48% of respondents said they believed the United States would reach no deal with Iran.
Pence expressed confidence in Trump's handling of Iran while cautioning that the Iranian government should be concerned about the current position. He noted his support for Trump's decision to strike Iranian military sites in recent years, describing it as the first such action in 47 years. He acknowledged that the administration had attempted to create diplomatic space after initial military operations that he said degraded Iranian military infrastructure.
However, Pence argued that diplomacy had exhausted its usefulness. "I honestly think that the time has come for the president of the United States to unleash the armed forces of the United States, strike the remaining nuclear facilities in Iran, take down and degrade their ability to project force not only in the strait, but across the region," He said.
He contended that successful peace comes only with a defeated adversary, and suggested that given Iran's continued posture and denial of ongoing negotiations, Trump would eventually decide to pursue military action.
Pence praised Trump's willingness to act decisively and called for completing the campaign with Israel's involvement. "Now we've got to let our armed forces and our ally, Israel, finish the job, and I believe we can," He said.