Pence backs Trump's Iran strikes, says president 'ignored' GOP isolationists

Pence's comments come nearly three weeks into the military strikes against Iran, as some loud populist and anti-war voices in the MAGA and America First orbits have heavily criticized the military operation.

The former vice president, who has long been a proponent of strong American deterrence around the world, highlighted that "around this administration, and to some extent in this administration, there have been some increasingly loud voices calling for America to pull back from our role as leader of the free world. Isolationist voices have taken hold in some quarters of the Republican Party."

Pence argued that it's "reflective of where the overwhelming majority of Republicans are. Republicans understand that America is the arsenal of democracy, that we're the leader of the free world, that we have obligations to lead."

And pointing to his former boss during Trump's first administration, Pence said, "I've told people many times, I'm proud of President Trump for making the decision to launch operation Epic Fury. But I'm not surprised, because the President I serve with is no isolationist."

The military attacks by the U.S. and Israel have resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials, and the decimation of the country's military.

Iran has also targeted energy facilities with missile and drone attacks in a number of Persian Gulf nations. It has also made the Strait of Hormuz nearly impassable to commercial shipping, bringing to a halt roughly 20% of the world's oil supply, which has sent fuel prices skyrocketing in the U.S. and across the globe.

But Pence emphasized that he "couldn't be more proud of President Donald Trump for making the decision to send our troops directly against an enemy that has literally claimed thousands of American lives, including nearly 1,000 service members."

The former vice president said Trump has "unleashed the armed forces of the United States to take the fight directly to the source of global terrorism. And I think at the end of the day, the American people understand that this is a fight that we have to win, and it's going to be important that we finish the threat that Iran has posed to the American people, to our cherished ally, Israel, to nations across the region and across the West, once and for all."

And Pence said that if he were advising Trump, he would urge the president "to finish the threat that the mullahs and Tehran have posed to the people of this country once and for all."