Vance: US won’t talk to Iran until it stops attacking commercial ships

US Vice President JD Vance dismissed the ongoing conflict with Iran as not being a war, despite continuous fighting between the two nations six months after the initial start. During a White House briefing, Vance emphasized that there was no active shooting at the moment and acknowledged that major combat operations only lasted for six weeks following the initiation of the war on February 28.

He acknowledged that there have been flare-ups in the conflict, but he is unsure when Iran would cease its attacks on commercial vessels. Vance insisted that the US would not restart talks with Iran until such attacks ceased. Iran's control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively gone for three months, has led to a resurgence in oil and gas flows to pre-war levels, according to Vance.

Trump's approval ratings are near record lows as he grapples with the situation in Iran, and there have been 18 US troop deaths and thousands of casualties in Iran and Lebanon since the conflict began. Iran continued its attacks on the US, targeting military bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in response to a strike on a wedding they claimed was carried out by Washington.

Vance stated that the US was investigating the wedding attack but expressed skepticism about the Iranian reporting of the incident.