Vance acknowledges 'failures' in US handling of Iran war

US Vice President JD Vance acknowledged "a lot of mistakes and a lot of fundamental failures" in the handling of the Iran war, as he faced questions over the conflict's rising human and economic costs during a CBS News town hall on Sunday.

Vance made the remarks in response to Joey Amor, whose wife, Master Sgt Nicole Amor, was among six US Army Reserve soldiers killed in an Iranian strike on a military site in Kuwait in the opening hours of the war that began in late February. At least 21 US service members have been killed and hundreds wounded so far.

Amor questioned reports that the facility had not been adequately secured, demanding accountability from the Trump administration.

"Though the Iranian drone was the weapon that killed my wife, there were a lot of mistakes and a lot of fundamental failures that led up to that," Amor said.

Vance acknowledged that there were shortcomings. "Sometimes information doesn't filter up to me," he said, pledging to "take every single failure extremely seriously."

The vice president also admitted that the positioning of US troops exposed weaknesses in the military's approach. "I know that there are some issues with, for example … where troops were located that we realised was a huge mistake and that we could do better on. And we have changed that," he said.

Vance pointed to the growing threat posed by inexpensive drones, saying the US military had altered its tactics to better protect troops and prevent further casualties.

Asked why Washington had still not secured a decisive victory despite President Donald Trump's initial expectations, Vance argued that the US had "in some ways … won decisively," but acknowledged the outcome also depended on Iran's actions. "The enemy gets a vote here," he said.

Vance defended the administration's strategy, saying Washington was seeking a "final firm commitment from the Iranians that they're not going to rebuild their nuclear program."

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that he hopes his US-sanctioned defence minister nominee can "survive," claiming that he is also on a US "assassination list."

Pezeshkian made the remarks in a virtual address to parliament during a session considering Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi's nomination as minister of defence, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Pezeshkian said Akhlaqi is under US sanctions and claimed that he is also on a US "assassination list." He expressed hope that the nominee would "take care of himself" and, with support from the country's institutions, "remain alive" and continue working to strengthen Iran's defence capabilities.

Pezeshkian urged lawmakers to give Akhlaqi a strong vote of confidence, saying he enjoys support across Iran's armed forces, including the army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the defence ministry and security institutions.