Vice President JD Vance Says The Administration Has a New Primary Goal In The Iran War

Vice President JD Vance said the Trump administration has a new primary goal in the war with Iran: keeping "oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country."

Speaking to Fox News, he went on to say that "obviously goal number two is ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon," but the remarks illustrate concerns caused by the economic impact of the continued closure of the Hormuz Strait.

However, the goal is set to face continued challenges as there is no end to the war in sight and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains practically at a standstill. In fact, the UAE claimed that two tankers affiliated with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company were attacked while trying to cross the waterway. The foreign ministry blamed Iran for it.

Elsewhere, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. will apply economic measures "that have never been seen on Iran."

Speaking to Newsmax, Bessent said the tactic "will be a combination of economic isolation like ‌the world has ​never seen before, ​and ​the continued blockade in ‌the Strait of ​Hormuz that will ​keep anything from going in or out of ​the ‌Iranian ports." He did not elaborate further, only saying "just watch this space."

The remarks echo those of President Donald Trump, who claimed economic pressure on Tehran is working.

Speaking to Real America's Voice this week, Trump said the country's economy is in tatters. "They've got 300% inflation. Their currency has almost no value. They're not paying their soldiers. Their soldiers are leaving."

He went on to say that while military options are still on the table, he is leaning towards continuing down the current path: "Economically, they are a mess. They can't borrow money. We control their money, what they had, which is a lot. They had a lot, and we have total control of it. I'm their banker," Trump added.

Perspectives of a deal with Iran continued to fade this week. Trump said on Monday the U.S. will seek compensations from Iran for war damages after Tehran made such a claim during the weekend.

Days later, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that there have been no breakthroughs in the conflict.

"One of the issues that is being discussed ⁠via mediators is the U.S. returning to the interim agreement and defining a timeframe for implementing its ​commitments. There has been absolutely no progress on this issue," the official told the outlet.