US officials split over Iran deal and Israel policy, report says

WASHINGTON, United States — WASHINGTON — U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have made differing public statements in the past week over a preliminary agreement with Iran and on Israeli military operations, pointing to disagreements inside the Trump administration, according to a Reuters report. Vance, speaking at the White House last week, criticized Israel's bombing of civilian infrastructure in Beirut, suggesting it was undermining U.S. peace efforts. Rubio, on a tour of Gulf states, defended Israel's operations in Lebanon as a legitimate response to Hezbollah attacks. Vance held talks with Iranian officials in Switzerland, while Rubio visited the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain to reassure Gulf allies that their interests would be protected under the interim deal with Tehran, signed on June 17. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly and State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott firmly rejected reports of a foreign policy rift between the two officials. Michael Rubin, a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute, said Rubio and Vance represent two distinct foreign policy currents within the Republican Party.