Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
The vice president’s characterization differs from President Donald Trump’s previous emphasis on Iran’s nuclear program as a central reason for the war.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that keeping oil and gasoline prices low for Americans is now the United States’ “goal number one” in the Iran war, placing the economic objective ahead of preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon as efforts continue to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“I know that oil is down today and it’s way down from the highs in the early days of the conflict,” Vance told Fox News before the latest increase in prices. “That’s goal number one — keep oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country.”
Vance identified preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon as the administration’s second priority.
He added that “obviously goal number two is ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.” Tehran maintains that it does not seek to develop one.
The vice president’s characterization differs from President Donald Trump’s previous emphasis on Iran’s nuclear program as a central reason for the war.
In March, the White House documented 74 occasions on which Trump had stressed that Iran could not be permitted to develop a nuclear weapon.
Last week, Trump indicated that the US was stepping back from further direct military action against Iran, saying Washington was “low-keying it” and would instead rely on financial pressure against the Iranian regime.
Concerns over Iran’s nuclear capabilities remain despite extensive damage inflicted on the country’s nuclear facilities during the conflict.
Israel has raised concerns about Iran’s remaining stockpile of enriched uranium and the possibility that nuclear capabilities could be concealed inside the fortified underground complex known as Pickaxe Mountain.
Intelligence assessments indicate that Tehran may have transferred sensitive centrifuge components to Pickaxe Mountain. Iran is also believed to retain approximately 970 pounds of uranium enriched to levels as high as 60%, near weapons-grade.
The developments come as efforts continue to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with the effect of the Iran conflict on energy prices becoming a stated priority for the US administration.
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