WASHINGTON

Vice President JD Vance said Friday that discussions about US options in the military operation against Iran were taking place inside the White House Situation Room, but declined to reveal details of his advice to President Donald Trump.

Speaking at an event in the state of North Carolina, Vance was asked what he advised Trump as the president weighed military and policy decisions on Iran, and whether he expressed concern about the war.

"We're in the situation room ... President and I and the entire senior team are talking about the options and about what we need to do and about how we must best protect the American people," Vance said.

His remarks came after local media reports suggested that Vance expressed skepticism about the US striking Iran in the lead-up to Trump’s decision to launch the war.

"I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not going to show up here and in front of God and everybody else tell you exactly what I said in that classified room, partially because I don't want to go to prison, and partially because I think it's important for the President of the United States to be able to talk to his advisors without those advisors running their mouth to the American media," Vance said.

Earlier Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked about recent reports of division between Vance and Trump on Operation Epic Fury, which began Feb. 28, killing Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

"He’s an incredible member, leader of this team as well, alongside the president and secretary of state," Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Air Force Gen. Dan Caine.

On Monday, Trump said Vance was "philosophically a little bit different than me."

"I think he was maybe less enthusiastic about going but he was quite enthusiastic,” Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago.