Vice President JD Vance accused some figures within the Israeli government of supporting an influence campaign intended to undermine U.S. diplomacy with Iran, delivering one of the most direct public criticisms of Israeli conduct by a senior member of the Trump administration.

In a lengthy interview released Wednesday on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Vance said he believed Israeli actors were trying to change American public opinion and push Washington away from negotiations. He described what he called a “very discreet, extremely well-funded campaign” aimed at derailing the diplomatic process and extending military operations against Iran.

“I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there have been people within the Israeli government who are trying to, like, actually shift us away from that policy because they want to continue the military campaign,” Vance said. He did not publicly identify the Israeli officials he believed were directly involved or provide classified or documentary evidence supporting the broader allegation.

Vance said foreign governments routinely attempt to persuade U.S. policymakers and voters, drawing comparisons with influence efforts by Qatar, Russia and other countries. He argued that the central problem arises when foreign messaging changes the judgment of American leaders rather than merely contributing to public debate.

“What does bother me is when those operations, those influence campaigns, actually affect American political judgment,” Vance said. He maintained that U.S. policy should be determined by American interests, even when Washington’s objectives diverge from those of a close ally.

The vice president’s remarks build on a widening disagreement between Washington and Israeli leaders over the administration’s negotiations with Tehran. Vance has been one of the most visible defenders of the memorandum of understanding signed by the United States and Iran in June, which was intended to halt fighting, preserve freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and create a framework for further nuclear negotiations.

Critics in Israel and the United States have argued that the arrangement does not sufficiently restrict Iran’s ballistic missile program or establish a clear path for permanently dismantling sensitive nuclear infrastructure. Israeli officials have also objected to provisions affecting Israel’s operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Supporters of the agreement have described it as a necessary attempt to prevent another open-ended regional war and reduce risks to U.S. forces, energy markets and commercial shipping.

Vance told Rogan that some Israeli-linked messaging had personally targeted him for pursuing the negotiating objectives established by Trump. He said critics had accused him of being influenced by Qatar, conservative media personalities and other outside interests. He portrayed those attacks as part of a broader effort to make diplomacy politically costly inside the United States.

The vice president referred to a TIME investigation published Monday examining a digital communications operation run by Clock Tower X, a company led by Brad Parscale, who managed Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign. According to the report and Foreign Agents Registration Act filings it reviewed, the global advertising company Havas hired Clock Tower X on behalf of the State of Israel.

The disclosed agreement called for the production of at least 100 original pieces of content each month, with much of the material directed toward younger audiences on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and podcasts. The contract also described plans to generate tens of millions of monthly impressions and distribute messaging through conservative media channels. TIME reported that Israel agreed to pay Clock Tower X $1.5 million per month.

The existence of the registered communications campaign does not by itself establish Vance’s claim that it was designed to sabotage the administration’s Iran negotiations. Public diplomacy and advocacy work conducted by foreign governments can be lawful when appropriately disclosed under federal rules.

Parscale denied coordinating an effort to undermine Trump or prolong the conflict. He told TIME that he had never funded, organized or participated in a campaign against the president’s memorandum of understanding or ceasefire proposal. He said the operation’s purpose was to combat antisemitism and prevent opponents of Israel from dividing the country from its traditional American supporters.

TIME nevertheless reported that some White House officials believed the campaign had begun colliding with Trump’s political interests as the administration’s goals diverged from those of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The report described synchronized social media activity by conservative influencers criticizing the agreement, although disputes remain over who financed individual posts and whether foreign contract funds were used.

Vance’s decision to discuss the matter on Rogan’s podcast gave the accusation a large audience within the same conservative media ecosystem that Israeli officials reportedly hoped to influence. Rogan’s program is particularly prominent among younger male voters and listeners skeptical of military intervention, making it a significant venue for the administration’s internal debate over Iran and Israel.

The Israeli prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on Vance’s statements. Israeli officials speaking anonymously have previously defended their government’s opposition to the Iran arrangement, arguing that their concerns about Tehran’s nuclear and missile capabilities are substantive security objections rather than an effort to manipulate U.S. politics.

Asked whether the United States would have entered the latest war with Iran without Israeli influence, Vance answered yes, according to Reuters. He emphasized that Trump independently believes Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon and said he shares that position. His criticism was therefore directed at efforts to influence the duration and objectives of the conflict, rather than at the administration’s underlying opposition to a nuclear-armed Iran.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt sought to minimize any appearance of a policy split between Trump and Vance. Speaking Thursday, she said the president and vice president were “on the exact same page” about the current phase of the conflict. Trump had recently used sharply hostile language toward Iran, but the administration has continued to indicate that negotiations remain possible.

The diplomatic framework has come under mounting pressure as military exchanges resume around the Strait of Hormuz and other regional targets. The Associated Press reported Friday that Pakistan, Qatar and Egypt were continuing mediation efforts despite renewed U.S. strikes and Iranian retaliation. The intensifying conflict has again threatened shipping through a waterway central to global oil supplies.

For Washington, the controversy creates overlapping foreign-policy and domestic-political risks. The administration must determine whether negotiations with Tehran can continue while protecting U.S. forces and preventing nuclear proliferation. It must also manage an increasingly public disagreement with Israel without allowing the dispute to become a broader rupture in security cooperation.

Vance’s remarks additionally signal a shift in how some Republican leaders discuss Israel. Rather than treating disagreements as private matters between allies, he framed the dispute as a question of foreign influence over American decision-making. That framing is likely to intensify debate over military assistance, lobbying disclosures and the role of digital campaigns in shaping U.S. foreign policy.

Whether the alleged campaign materially changed American policy remains unproven. But the vice president’s willingness to make the accusation publicly demonstrates how far tensions have moved beyond routine diplomatic disagreement—and how closely the future of Iran negotiations is now tied to a struggle over political opinion inside the United States.