Vice President JD Vance recently stated that the United States is “not at war with Iran. We’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program” following President Donald Trump‘s strike on Iranian nuclear sites. The statement has been met with considerable criticism.

Speaking on ABC News “This Week,” Vance asserted, “And I think the president took decisive action to destroy that program last night.”

Journalist Michael Weiss responded to Vance’s comment by calling it “Orwellian.”

“This is the kind of Orwellian comment Vance would have ridiculed if it had been uttered by anyone else,” Weiss wrote on X, adding, “Trump is turning his unhappy band of isolationists inside out.”

Journalist Michael Tracey argued Vance’s comment proves “as war heats up the propaganda always gets progressively dumber.” Tracey posed the question, “Imagine if some other country bombed nuclear installations in the US, and then tried to claim they were ‘not at war with the US.'”

Analyst @AdameMedia wrote succinctly, “This might be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

The “MAGA lie tracker” posted a clip of Vance with the analysis “Don’t think it works that way, JD.”