US-Iran conflict escalates, Vans says it’s impossible to predict when it will end

(Central News Agency reporter Hou Ziying, Washington, 3rd) After the US military launched a surprise attack on August 30, the US and Iran began to exchange fire again. Despite the escalation of hostilities between the two sides, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said today that he would not call it a "war." As for when the U.S.-Iran conflict will end, Vance said he could not predict and would have to ask Iran.

The United States and Iran have recently begun fighting again, exacerbating the stalemate that has lasted for more than six months. According to foreign reports, Iran continues to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and the United States has also stepped up its blockade of Iranian ports.

After US President Donald Trump suggested that the latest US air strikes against Iran would not last long, Vance said when asked about Iran at a White House press conference today that he could not predict when the US-Iran conflict would end.

According to reports from The Washington Post and The Hill, Vance said, "The question you're asking me is like asking, 'When will Iran stop firing at ships?'... The fact is, I don't know the answer to that question. You have to ask Iran."

Despite the escalation in U.S.-Iran hostilities this week, Vance said he "wouldn't call it a war."

According to reports, the back-and-forth military strikes between the United States and Iran this week are the largest round of conflict in weeks. The US military carried out about 100 strikes against Iranian targets on the 1st, saying it was a retaliatory action in response to threats in the Strait of Hormuz.

Vance also said that Iran's ability to hold the global oil market hostage is gradually weakening as oil tankers begin to resume sailing and pass through the southern channel of the Strait of Hormuz, which is the farthest distance from Iran.

According to data from the ship tracking agency Kpler, a handful of ships currently pass through the waterway every day, compared with an average of about 100 ships per day before the war.

Vance pointed out that until Iran stops attacking ships, U.S.-Iran negotiations will be at a standstill. "We are not talking to them now."

Before the United States and Israel jointly launched air strikes against Iran on February 28, triggering hostilities, about one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas was transported through the Strait of Hormuz. (Editor: Chen Huiping) 1150904