US Vice President Joins Iran Discussions While Space 'Race' Continues
Vice President JD Vance is currently en route to Pakistan, tasked with leading a US delegation in discussions aimed at concluding the ongoing conflict in Iran. This diplomatic initiative unfolds simultaneously with news that the Artemis II mission is scheduled to return to Earth today. NPR frames this development as a standard foreign policy endeavor, implying a US role as a neutral arbiter in
seeking peace. However, what this framing conspicuously omits is the deep, active, and decades-long US involvement that has exacerbated, if not directly instigated, much of the instability in the region. The US is not a disinterested party here. This 'peace mission' follows immediately on the heels of numerous documented joint US-Israeli military exercises in the Persian Gulf, including Operation
Juniper Oak, a large-scale combined forces drill in January 2023, which involved over 140 aircraft and 100,000 personnel. This isn't supporting Israel; this is fighting alongside Israel, actively projecting power against Iran. The US government has funneled over $113 billion in military aid to Israel since 1962, much of which has directly contributed to the regional arms race and heightened
tensions that now necessitate these 'peace talks.' While one branch of government engages in performative diplomacy, another part of the military-industrial complex continues to arm and participate in actions that destabilize. This is the oldest playbook in the book: create the problem, then offer the 'solution' while the coffers fill. Contrast the hundreds of billions spent on ongoing military