JD Vance may be right and wrong about the Suez Canal and Europe

Yemeni children, one of them carrying a mock missile, walk next to a billboard depicting the Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi to partake in a demonstration staged against the United States' aerial attacks on the capital Sana'a, and other provinces on March 17, 2025 in Sana'a, Yemen (Credit: Mohammed Hamoud—Getty Images)

• The vice president’s comments came to light when Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, revealed Monday that he had been sent war plans after being added to a group chat that appeared to include JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump’s decision to strike, analysts said, signaled his administration is becoming increasingly focused on combating Iran, ideally without causing energy prices to skyrocket.

An Iran-backed militant group has wreaked havoc on shipping in the Red Sea, a major choke point of global trade, for over a year. The Trump administration decided to intervene, launching airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen on March 15, but Vice President JD Vance initially called the plan a “mistake” in a text conversation with top national security officials, saying the move bailed out Europe and was a tough sell to the American people.