Vice-President Vance warns Iran of tougher response after renewed attacks near Strait of Hormuz
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Washington: Vice-President J.D. Vance on Wednesday accused Iran of breaking a recent understanding with the United States by resuming attacks on commercial vessels, and warned that further attempts to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would draw a stronger U.S. military response.
Speaking in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Vance said the Trump administration negotiated an agreement with Tehran following earlier hostilities, but alleged Iran failed to honor its commitments.
“We made a deal with the Iranians,” Vance said, adding that U.S. negotiators entered talks “from maximum leverage and maximum strength.” He credited President Donald Trump and the U.S. military with weakening Iranian military and nuclear capabilities before diplomacy resumed.
“Thanks to the incredible efforts of our amazing US military, …the President of the United States, just amazing people. But most of all, thanks to the troops, we came into the situation with maximum leverage and maximum strength,” Vance said. “You've got some people within the Iranian system who are saying, 'You know what? We want to change our relationship with the United States. We want to turn over a new leaf.”
According to Vance, the understanding focused on ensuring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route. “The basic deal that we cut was we'll lift our blockade if you stop shooting at ships. But if you shoot at ships, we are going to punch back, and we're going to punch back harder than ever before,” he said.
Vance said Iran initially complied but resumed attacks within 24 hours. “They were well behaved for about a week, but then they started shooting at ships,” he said, adding that Washington would continue to respond militarily if attacks persist.
“So the deal is very simple. If they shoot at ships, we’re going to knock the hell out of them,” he said, noting that President Trump “maintains a lot of options” but declining to outline specific military plans.
Vance stressed the strategic importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to safeguard global energy supplies. “The President has said to them very simply, the Strait of Hormuz is going to be open. That means oil and gas is going to flow to the American people,” he said, linking the policy to lower domestic fuel prices.
“If they try to close it down, there's going to be a response from the American military,” Vance added. “It's that simple. They can either follow it, or they can have exactly what happened to them last night. It's just going to keep on happening until they open up that lane and stop shooting at ships.”
(Inputs from IANS)