Iran war is going to conclude ‘very shortly,’ says US vice president

US Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that the war with Iran would end “very shortly,” declaring that Washington had largely achieved its military goals, Anadolu reports.

“First of all, the United States has largely accomplished its military objectives,” Vance told reporters at a news conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest.

He acknowledged some work remained on Iran’s weapons manufacturing capacity but said the core objectives had been met.

Iran deadline

US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb power stations and bridges across Iran if Tehran failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and reach an agreement by 8 pm EDT (0000GMT Wednesday).

Vance said the Trump administration had been “negotiating so aggressively” and that the ball was now in Iran’s court. “We’re going to get a response from the Iranians by eight o’clock tonight. I hope they make the right response,” he said.

Asked about reports of strikes on Kharg Island, Vance confirmed that the US targeted military sites there, saying he had spoken with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine about it. He said the strikes did not represent any change in overall strategy.

“We’re not going to strike energy and infrastructure targets until the Iranians either make a proposal that we can get behind or don’t make a proposal,” he said.

READ: Trump says ‘whole civilization will die tonight’ as Iran deal deadline looms

Two pathways

Vance outlined two possible outcomes. In the first, Iran chooses to become “a normal country,” abandons alleged support for terrorism and rejoins global commerce, a path he said would bring significant economic benefits. In the second, Tehran refuses to negotiate and remains “committed to terrorism,” in which case he warned its economic situation would “continue to be very, very bad and frankly, it will probably get worse.”

Vance also warned that if Iran attempted to disrupt global energy markets, Washington had the ability to impose far greater economic costs on Tehran than Iran could inflict on the US or its allies.

Regional escalations have continued to rage since Israel and the US launched an offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian authorities have not updated the death toll in recent days.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure, while disrupting global markets and aviation.

READ: British MPs push back on Trump’s ‘civilization’ threat against Iran, urge end to ‘complicity’