Vance: First Phase of Iran War Is Over, and ‘Everything Will Look Different’ in About Two Months

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said yesterday (Tuesday) that the first phase of the war with Iran has come to an end, estimating that within about two months, the campaign will shift into “a very different phase.” He made the remarks in an interview with the New York Post.

According to Vance, the American strategy in the campaign is divided into two phases. He described the goals of the first phase this way: “The first phase was to destroy the nuclear program, destroy their conventional military, and destroy their ability to project power the way they were able to do even two years ago.”

Now, he said, the effort is moving to the second phase, aimed at preventing Tehran from rebuilding the capabilities that were damaged, while preserving global stability as much as possible.

Vance also addressed growing impatience in the United States over the war’s length: “I certainly understand that there is some impatience among the American public.” Still, he argued that at this stage, U.S. forces are not carrying out offensive operations. According to him, “The Iranians occasionally fire at commercial vessels, usually unsuccessfully.”

On the relationship between Washington and Jerusalem, Vance made clear that Washington “cannot allow its foreign policy in the Middle East to be subordinated to Israel.” He added that U.S. President Donald Trump has previously shown that he is willing to take a different position from the Israeli government when the interests of the two countries do not align. “He is probably the only president in the last 40 years who has shown a willingness to ‘separate forces’ from Netanyahu when it appears that the interest of the American people does not align with that of the Israeli government,” he said.

Vance also addressed the Strait of Hormuz, estimating that Iran’s grip on the area will continue to weaken through the elections. He claimed that vessel traffic through the strait has already rebounded to a level significantly higher than half of normal traffic.

His comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that the end of the war was drawing near, tying the timeline to the elections: “I think the war will end immediately after the elections, because they cannot hold out any longer.”