CNN commentator and former Obama administration official Van Jones delivered a sharp warning to progressive audiences, urging them to align with a firm bipartisan consensus: Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
Speaking during a panel discussion that included GOP strategist Scott Jennings—freshly returned from Israel after spending days sheltering from Iranian missile attacks—Jones drew on recent experiences in the region to underscore the gravity of the threat posed by Tehran.
“I think progressives underestimate how dangerous Iran is,” Jones said bluntly. “Iran is not a normal country. Normal countries don’t blind women because they showed some hair. They don’t empower little gangs and proxies to surround a country and fire rockets and r*** people.”
🚨NEW: CNN's Van Jones calls on "progressives" to "GET ON BOARD" with Trump's stance that Iran *can't* have nuclear weapon🚨
"I think progressives underestimate how dangerous Iran is. Iran is not a normal country. Normal countries don‘t blind women because they showed some hair.… pic.twitter.com/HFQloc2Gwg
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) June 21, 2025
“So Iran — two things are clear,” Jones declared. “The what — they cannot have a bomb. And the why — because they say death to America, death to Israel, and death to all the Jews. One of those should offend you if you’re progressives — at least one should offend you.”
He acknowledged the real debate lies not in whether Iran should be stopped, but how—whether through targeted Israeli action or a direct American military strike. But he emphasized that indecision is not an option when a state with a track record of human rights abuses and regional aggression seeks the world’s most destructive weapon.
Jones’s comments stand out amid a highly polarized media environment, particularly given his political background. His stance aligns more closely with the Trump administration's aggressive posture on Iran than with prior Democratic strategies centered on diplomacy and containment.
His remarks also reflect a growing rift within the progressive movement, some of whose members have been reluctant to support forceful measures against Iran despite escalating provocations and the country’s continued pursuit of enriched uranium.
Jones closed by reaffirming the central message: “This is a very dangerous power that cannot get a nuclear weapon.”