Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the United States will refuse to reopen negotiations with Iran as long as Tehran continues attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, laying down a clear condition for any return to diplomatic talks.
“The President’s been very clear: We are not talking to the Iranians, and we are not going to talk to them unless they stop shooting at commercial shipping. My advice to the Iranians is stop acting like crazy people,” the Vice President said at a press briefing at the White House.
Vance was also asked whether the ongoing confrontation with Iran could be over before the November 3 midterm elections. He initially pushed back on the characterization of the hostilities, saying, “I wouldn’t call it a war,” before arguing that the duration of the conflict will ultimately depend largely on Iran.
“When you ask when will this end, you’re asking me a question like when will the Iranians stop shooting at ships? I think the reality is I don’t know the answer to that question. You would have to ask the Iranians.”
JD Vance on Iran:
We are not talking to the Iranians, and we are not going to talk to them unless they stop shooting at commercial shipping. pic.twitter.com/VQYtHuH3md
— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 3, 2026
The vice president said shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz has been recovering and is nearing the levels recorded before the latest fighting erupted. According to Vance, approximately 15 million barrels of oil moved through the strategic waterway during the previous night.
Vance blamed Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels for the recent increase in fuel costs, arguing that consumers elsewhere have been hit even harder than Americans.
“The reason gas prices are so high right now is because the Iranians are shooting at commercial shipping… Yes, gas prices are higher in the United States, but they’re way worse everywhere else in the world,” he stated.
Vance also addressed Iranian allegations that an American strike earlier this week struck a wedding party, expressing considerable skepticism about Tehran’s version of events.
“I will say that the Iranian state media has not been a very good scribe about what’s happened in the conflict thus far, so I’m extremely skeptical of this,” Vance told reporters.
The vice president said the U.S. military does not intentionally target civilians, while emphasizing that the administration is nevertheless examining the report to determine what occurred.
“Unfortunately, obviously, sometimes things happen, but in this particular case, I don’t think that we have any information one way or the other,” Vance said. “We’re investigating it because obviously we care, we want to know.”
Vance’s comments came one day after President Donald Trump predicted that the renewed confrontation between the United States and Iran would not continue for much longer.
When asked Wednesday how long he expected the latest round of hostilities to last, Trump replied, “Not too long”. He then indicated that Iran may be approaching the limits of how much punishment it can sustain from continued U.S. military action.
“I don’t think it will be very much longer. I don’t know how much more they can take,” Trump said of Iran.
Trump also warned that the United States remained prepared to carry out additional attacks against Iranian targets whenever necessary.
“It was a very heavy attack last night, and we are prepared to do another one anytime we want,” he stressed.
Speaking later Wednesday during an event in the White House Rose Garden, Trump portrayed the American military campaign as overwhelmingly successful, asserting that Iran had lost much of its ability to conduct military operations following the latest U.S. strikes.
“We’re winning that one very big, by the way, in case you haven’t noticed. They don’t have a Navy. They don’t have an Air Force. They don’t have any aircraft. Anything having to do with aircraft or ships, they’re all at the bottom of the sea or at the bottom of a runway. Their leaders are gone. All of their technology is gone. Their weapons are largely gone. Other than that, they’re doing quite well.”
Trump pointed as well to Iran’s deteriorating economy, arguing that severe inflation and the collapse of the country’s currency have placed additional pressure on Tehran.
“Their economy is totally shot. Their economy is the worst anywhere in the world, they said this morning. They have close to 300% inflation, their money is valueless. They’re not doing well at all, so it’s just a question of time,” added the President.
The president said the American military operation against Iran was intended to defend U.S. interests while also protecting Israel and the broader Middle East from the threat posed by Tehran.
“We’re doing it to help the Middle East, we’re doing it to help Israel, we’re doing it to help ourselves, because after they annihilate Israel, which they would’ve done very gladly, and then the Middle East, then they come after Europe and they come after some of our cities before we put them away.”
{Matzav.com}
