Amid reports of a divided and fragile leadership in Iran, the United States seems in no different position as Vice President JD Vance has reportedly grown sceptical of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's huge claims on the Iran war.
According to a report by The Atlantic, Vance has repeatedly questioned the reality of those claims in closed-door meetings, asking whether what is told to President Donald Trump is actually the truth.
He has also asked if the Pentagon has understated the reported drastic depletion of US missile stockpiles. The report, citing senior officials in the administration, suggests that Vance has sought to understand the accuracy of the information that the Pentagon has provided to the US President and has raised the issue of depleting missiles and munitions arsenal as it could affect Washington's capabilities to fight potential future stand-offs with China, North Korea and Russia.
It is noteworthy that both Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine, who chairs the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have publicly claimed that US weapons stockpiles remain robust while portraying the damage to Iranian forces after eight weeks of fighting as drastic.
Vance’s advisers, as cited by the report, have said that the Vice President has presented his concerns rather than accusing Hegseth or Caine of misleading the president.
In fact, Vance has publicly praised Hegseth's work during the Iran war. Earlier on April 7, a report by The Washington Post raised similar concerns, citing US officials.
After the downing of a US F-15 and a high-risk rescue airman operation in Iran, questions were raised on Hegseth's previous claims of "complete control of Iranian skies" and "uncontested airspace." He had also boasted that Tehran had been "embarrassed and humiliated" by US forces.
The Washington Post report quoted a US official saying, "Pete is not speaking truth to the president," and as a result, "The president is out there repeating misleading information."