Marine-educated Yale Lawyer Vance Meets Iran's President in Switzerland

 Nadene Goldfoot                                 

Vice President James David Vance, born August 2, 1984, only 42 years old,  in Middletown, Ohio,  takes the spotlight.  He's a former Marine that had deployment to Iraq.  Vance was educated at Ohio State University and has a law degree from Yale Law School.  He was well-known for his best selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which explored his Appalachian roots of his genealogy and the socioeconomic struggles of the American working class.  He's been a Roman Catholic since 2019.  JD Vance has no formal academic background, specialized coursework, or documented formal education specifically focused on Israeli history.

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance opened talks with Iranian officials in Switzerland on Sunday, September 6, 2026 so Trump wants nuclear progress, but Iran is pushing IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon as Israel vows to hold the security zone.  Lebanon has been in on talks with Israel and understands the whys;  it's Hezbollah, the Iranian led terrorists, who have been shooting and not  willing to give up their arms in any  deal.  They have been given another span of time,  60 days to come to a conclusion.                            

 The present Ayatollah head acting as President, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian,  said the only American condition is that Iran not build an atomic bomb, something he said Iran is prepared to put in writing. But he also said Iran will not give up what it calls its right to uranium enrichment, claiming that Trump has effectively recognized those rights.  Pezeshkian has held the presidency since July 2024.  He was a former heart surgeon.  He is young, born September 29, 1954 so he's 72 years old, in Mahabad, Iran.  

Vice President JD Vance views the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon as a complex "chicken and egg problem" tied to broader U.S.-Iran diplomatic efforts. (To me, this is not good.  It's not a matter of who got there first;  it's a matter of Iran's goal to wipe out Israel with Hezbollah and Hamas !  They are terrorists !  Hezbollah is not wanted in Lebanon, either, but so far has taken it over.)  

Chain of Reactions: Vance has described border skirmishes as situations where a "junior guy who fires a drone that didn't have approval from the high command" triggers an Israeli response, leading to rapid escalation. 
Proportional Restraint: While explicitly affirming Israel's fundamental right to self-defense, he has simultaneously urged restraint to Israel, stating that Israel should not "go wild in Lebanon" or use excessive force in civilian areas like Beirut. ( Why is it that only Israel is expected to restrain themselves in a war of live or die, survive or have your country forcefully eliminated off the map?  Israel has restrained themselves for the past 57 years ever since the Six Day1969 war that they had won.  It was then that all the Arab countries involved with the war, lead by Egypt, held a meeting in Africa and swore on the 3 Nos, The "Three Noes" issued at the 1967 Arab League summit in Khartoum, Sudan, regarding Israel were no peace, no recognition, and no negotiations with Israel.  

The "Deconfliction Mechanism": Vance helped outline a U.S.-backed coordination channel involving regional mediators (such as Qatar and Pakistan) intended to facilitate direct communication between Israel, Lebanon, and Hezbollah-related interlocutors to manage flare-ups before they expand into a wider war.
Cease-fire Scope: Vance clarified that initial U.S.-Iran diplomatic understandings focused primarily on state-level actions rather than serving as an immediate, all-encompassing blanket cease-fire for Lebanon itself, creating occasional friction and strategic misunderstandings with regional players. 
Long-Term Goal: The administration's stated objective is empowering the official Lebanese government to police southern Lebanon to curtail Hezbollah's dominance and secure Israel's northern border.

       Campus of Ohio State
As for Ohio State U, Ohio State University has faced multiple reported antisemitic incidents, hate crimes, and formal civil rights complaints following tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war.
Off-Campus Assault: In November 2023, two students were physically assaulted near a bar after suspects asked if they were Jewish and used a derogatory slur. As reported by ABC News, “the suspects yelled a derogatory term and assaulted two students while asking if they were Jewish.”
On-Campus Spitting: The university documented an incident where a student reported being spit upon, which administrators classified as a hate crime under federal guidelines. 
Vandalism and Harassment: Jewish and Israeli advocacy groups documented cases of threatening graffiti, physical confrontations, verbal taunts, and the removal of hostage posters on campus. 
Federal Investigations-3 of them
Title VI Complaints: The Anti-Defamation League, StandWithUs, and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law filed a joint federal civil rights complaint against the university. 
Department of Education Inquiry: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into how Ohio State handled reports of antisemitic harassment.



Campus Protests: The Gaza war protests at Ohio State University involved ongoing student demonstrations, counter-protests, and heightened security measures that drew scrutiny from both student activists and federal officials. 
University Response
University leaders stated that they maintain a strict policy against discrimination or harassment based on religion or identity. Administration officials increased campus security and reiterated that hateful behavior violates university standards

The environment for a Jewish student today is not the same as those attending in the 1950's.  Anti-Semitism today in the USA has reached an all time high, compared with the 1930s in Germany, especially on the East Coast where more Jews live..  

 

Birth: September 29, 1954, in Mahabad, Iran.