US Vice President JD Vance warned Iran on Tuesday
US Vice President JD Vance warned Iran on Tuesday that Washington has not yet used “the tools that are in our toolkit” and that President Donald Trump’s administration could decide to use them if the Islamic Republic does not agree to a ceasefire proposal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
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However, the White House pushed back against claims made on social media, saying that Vance was allegedly referring to “the US using nuclear weapons in Iran.”. “Vice President Vance didn’t mean literally anything he said here; you’re an absolute idiot,” the White House said in a post on Twitter.
The vice president said that there would be more attacks on Tehran if the Iranians “do not change their conduct”; however, he said he was “hopeful” that negotiations would avoid further deployments of “equipment.”
During his visit to Hungary, Vance said that “the United States has largely accomplished its military objectives” and added that there will be “a lot of conversations between now and then” when the U.S. deadline for Iran to finalise a deal and accept the U.S. proposal expires at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.
“So, they’ve got to know there are tools in our toolkit that we have not yet decided to use. The President of the United States can decide to use them, and he will decide to use them if the Iranians do not change their course of conduct,” Vance said at a joint press briefing with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest.
Vance did not elaborate on the “equipment” he talked about that Washington has withheld from its military campaign against Tehran.
“We really want a world where oil and gas are flowing freely, where people can afford to heat and cool their homes, and where they can afford to drive themselves to work,” Vance said.
