US Vice President, J.D. Vance, confirmed that large quantities of oil and gas are still crossing the Strait of Hormuz, despite what he described as Iran’s continued “intimidation” of ships on a daily basis, holding Tehran responsible for part of the turmoil witnessed in global energy markets.
Vance explained, in an interview with Fox News, that the administration of President Donald Trump will continue to confront Iranian movements targeting international shipping, noting that President Trump was firm in emphasizing that Iran “cannot possess a nuclear weapon,” and that Washington had taken measures to prevent that. Tehran responded – according to the American narrative – by targeting shipping.
Vance added that Iran’s continued attempts to intimidate international shipping are putting pressure on gasoline prices within the United States, stressing that his country will not set an artificial timetable for ending this confrontation as long as the attacks on ships continue.
In the field context, the movement of energy through the Strait witnessed severe disturbances during the past months, before the latest data showed a noticeable improvement. In this regard, the Commander of the US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, indicated that oil movement through Hormuz had reached its highest levels in six months, coinciding with the decline in crude prices on Monday.
These developments coincide with additional pressures facing the energy transportation movement due to high shipping costs and a shortage of oil tankers, as the cost of renting some giant tankers exceeded one million dollars per day, according to a report published by the Wall Street Journal.
At the level of international diplomacy, Vance’s statements come at a time when new diplomatic indicators are emerging between Washington and Tehran, as President Donald Trump expressed his openness to meeting his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, in New York, coinciding with the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly.
In another file related to the Ukrainian issue, the US Vice President expressed his conviction that the war in Ukraine will eventually end, considering that the matter is “just a matter of time,” without specifying a time frame or providing details about the path of the possible settlement.
Regarding local and media matters, Vance defended the Trump administration’s position on restricting the access of some media organizations to the White House. He stressed that the administration does not prevent the media from doing its work, but it does not commit to granting “special access” to institutions it accuses of providing biased propaganda coverage.
These statements came in light of an escalating dispute after the networks “CNN,” “MS NOW,” and the “Politico” website were prevented from entering the White House, a step that resulted in the three institutions announcing recourse to the judiciary, amid protests from other media institutions.
