Daijiworld Media Network – Washington
Washington, Sep 4: US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday said President Donald Trump and his administration have several options available to deal with Iran, amid reports that Washington is considering declaring the war over.
Speaking at a press conference in Washington, Vance said the options include economic, military, diplomatic and covert measures, but declined to provide details, saying doing so could restrict the administration’s ability to make decisions.
“There are a lot of additional tools that we have at our disposal. Some of those the President will use and some of them he won't,” Vance said. “But everything that could happen is on the table.”
Vance accused Iran of behaving like terrorists and targeting merchant vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. He said the US was seeking to prevent a global energy crisis and defended Washington’s efforts to protect commercial shipping in the region.
The conflict began on February 28 with a joint US-Israeli strike on Iran, which killed several senior Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The war has since continued for more than seven months, disrupting global supply chains and contributing to an energy crisis.
According to reports, the US is considering whether to formally declare an end to the war. However, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has extended the deployment of American troops in the Middle East, raising speculation that the conflict could continue into next year.
Iran has continued targeting US military bases in the region, including locations in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. Tehran has also indicated that it is prepared to return to the ceasefire agreement reached in June if Washington does the same.
“If the US returns to its commitments in the memorandum of understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately reciprocate,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan earlier this week.