The United States' main priority in the war with Iran right now is not the nuclear program but lowering fuel prices for American consumers, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said on Thursday, while the country's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added that new economic measures to weaken Tehran are inevitable, UNN writes, citing AFP.
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The comments by Vance and Treasury Secretary Bessent illustrate the powerful leverage Tehran has gained by closing the Strait of Hormuz, the outlet notes.
Preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, which U.S. President Donald Trump has consistently called the main reason for the war, is now taking a back seat to restoring the free flow of oil through the strait, Vance said on Fox News.
Vance's comments underscored the stark reality that the war is now focused on control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical fuel supply route that was open until Trump launched the war together with Israel in late February, the outlet notes.
Iran claims control over the Strait of Hormuz following Trump's remarks13.08.26, 13:09
"Iran effectively closed it in response and thereby found a decisive bargaining chip against Trump, who is trying to find a way out of the war and is avoiding the resumption of large-scale attacks," the outlet notes.
The approval rating of the 80-year-old U.S. president is plummeting, the war is unpopular among Americans, and the November midterm elections are approaching, the outlet writes.
Republicans, as noted, fear that Trump and the war, which caused a sharp increase in gasoline prices, will cost them control of Congress.
"I know oil fell today, and it's significantly below the highs at the beginning of the conflict," Vance said on Fox News. "That's the number one goal—to keep oil and gas cheap for Americans across our country."
"And then, obviously, number two is to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon," he added.