Vance and Rubio take different approaches as Iran tests their 2028 prospects

By — Matthew Lee, Associated Press Matthew Lee, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/vance-and-rubio-take-different-approaches-as-iran-tests-their-2028-prospects Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Vance and Rubio take different approaches as Iran tests their 2028 prospects Politics Jul 1, 2026 6:17 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio appear to be staking out differing approaches to carrying out President Donald Trump's national security agenda as the possible 2028 presidential rivals jostle for position in a divided Republican Party. With vastly different backgrounds and policy experience, they have moved along separate paths to stake out territory: Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants with a long history in the Senate and major interest in Latin America, and Vance, a child of the Midwest and Marine Corps veteran who served in the Senate for only two years before being tapped as Trump's 2024 running mate, with a message of opposing foreign wars. While deferential to each other — and with the White House and State Department denying any suggestion of a rift — Vance and Rubio appear the most divergent on the Middle East. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. In discussing Iran, Vance has several times been critical of Israel and its actions in Lebanon, saying Trump has been frustrated by Israeli actions against the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah that have angered Iran and made negotiations with Tehran more difficult. Rubio, meanwhile, has remained supportive of Israel or held his tongue, particularly over the situation in Lebanon — an issue he has taken the lead on and resulted in a preliminary framework agreement last week. Vance takes the lead on Iran negotiations and Rubio on Lebanon "The talk about differences is not idle speculation," said Dan Fried, a former assistant secretary of state and ambassador to Poland who is now with the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. "There is definitely something to it." The White House fired back at any suggestions of a rift. "Why is the legacy media obsessed with driving a wedge between Vice President Vance and Secretary Rubio that does not exist? There is one camp — President Trump's camp — and the entire administration is fully behind the president's efforts to ensure Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott added that "Rubio and the entire administration is 100% in lockstep behind President Trump." Yet, according to Trump administration officials familiar with the matter, Rubio was so skeptical of obtaining an acceptable deal with Iran that he declined to head the U.S. delegation to the first ceasefire negotiations in April in Islamabad, Pakistan. Vance, however, seeing an opportunity t