JD Vance stated that economic pressure is the best way to meet objectives in Iran. He described it as a "delicate dance" but also noted that over the past few weeks, "they have felt a lot more pressure than we have."
His comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would launch what he called the "most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country" against Iran.
"Do they want to have their economy strangled for the rest of time, or do they want to have a better relationship with the West?" Vance said.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance mentioned that economic pressure is the "most effective tool" against Iran. He emphasized that this is a "delicate dance" as both sides apply pressure to each other, but added that "what has been true over the last couple of weeks is they felt a lot more pressure than we have."
Vance noted that pump prices for Americans are still elevated but claimed they have come down "substantially" because the U.S. has managed to get "a lot of oil and gas out" of the Strait of Hormuz due to military assistance.
However, recently observed ship traffic through Hormuz has remained low, with 10 crossings on Monday and two transits on Sunday.
Vance stated that Iran's main leverage was access to the Strait, adding that "if we can, not even get it back to where it was before, but if we can get enough oil and gas out to give some Americans some ease at the pumps."
Iran is being punished for shooting at commercial ships, and the U.S. will ensure that Iranian forces are unable to do that.
"I think we've been quite successful," he claimed.
