‘We’re going to punch back harder than ever’: Vance warns Iran over Hormuz attacks
Washington, July 9 (IANS) Vice President J.D. Vance has accused Iran of violating a recent understanding with the United States by resuming attacks on commercial shipping, warning that any further attempts to disrupt maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz would trigger a stronger US military response.
Speaking in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday (local time), Vance said the Trump administration had reached an agreement with Tehran after recent hostilities, but alleged that Iran had failed to uphold its side of the arrangement.
“We made a deal with the Iranians,” Vance said, adding that the agreement came after the United States had negotiated “from maximum leverage and maximum strength.”
He credited President Donald Trump and the US military with weakening Iran’s 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. Their nuclear programme was destroyed, their conventional military was destroyed, and 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,'” Vance said.
According to Vance, the understanding between Washington and Tehran centred on freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping lanes.
“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 claimed Iran initially complied with the arrangement.
“They said they would stop shooting at ships, and what happened 24 hours ago? They started shooting at ships again. They were good, they were well behaved for about a week, but then they started shooting at ships,” he said.
He warned that Washington would continue to respond militarily if attacks persisted.
“So the deal is very simple. If they shoot at ships, we’re going to knock the hell out of them, and it’s that simple. That’s the basic way it’s going to work,” Vance said, adding that President Trump “maintains a lot of options” but declining to discuss possible military action.
Vance said ensuring the Strait of Hormuz remains open was a strategic priority because of its importance to 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. That’s why we see gas prices starting to come down. That’s why we see the oil prices so low, is because the President said that crucial artery through which we ship a lot of the world’s energy, that artery has got to remain open,” he said.
“If they try to close it down, there’s going to be a response from the American military. 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,” Vance added.
–IANS
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