Vice President J.D. Vance said Tuesday the U.S. has achieved many of its military objectives in Iran, but the regime in Tehran must choose between two pathways if it wants to avoid more economic pain and destruction before a deadline set by President Trump.
Mr. Vance, speaking in Hungary, said the Iranians can choose to be a “normal” country that does not fund terror proxies in the Middle East and participates in normal commerce and global relations.
“Option B is that the Iranians don’t come to the table and they stay committed to terrorism, to terrorizing their neighbors,” the vice president said. “The economic situation in Iran is going to continue to be very, very bad, and frankly, it will probably get worse.”
Mr. Trump set an 8 p.m. Tuesday deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil traffic, or risk devastating strikes on its power plants, bridges and other infrastructure.
The president repeated his threat early Tuesday on social media while Mr. Vance was meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social.
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The Trump administration said it is seeking a deal that prohibits Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and constrains its missile programs and funding of regional terrorism.
Mr. Vance said negotiators, who include himself and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, are hopeful the Iranians will agree to a good deal.
“I hope that they’re smart. The president has set a deadline for about 12 hours from now,” Mr. Vance said. “We’re going to find out, but there is going to be a lot of negotiation between now and then, and I’m hopeful that it gets to a good resolution.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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