All options against Iran 'on table', says US Vice President JD Vance

Washington (Web Desk/Agencies): US Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday that the Trump administration has several possible ways to deal with Iran as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate, with economic, military, diplomatic and covert measures all still being considered.

Talking to reporters, Vance said the administration had intentionally chosen not to disclose its future plans, explaining that revealing its strategy in advance could limit President Donald Trump’s freedom to respond as circumstances change.

“There are a lot of additional tools that we have at our disposal. Some of those the President will use and some of them he won’t,” Vance said.

He made clear that no major option had been ruled out, saying “everything that could happen is on the table,” including economic sanctions, military action, diplomatic efforts and covert operations.

Vance also stood by US military actions designed to safeguard commercial vessels travelling through the Strait of Hormuz. He argued that the operations were partly aimed at avoiding a much wider disruption to global energy supplies.

“We would have had an energy crisis because the Iranians refuse to stop acting like terrorists in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

The vice president avoided giving any specific information about what Washington could do next, maintaining that uncertainty over US intentions was itself an important part of the strategy.

“Part of the reason they’re tools in the toolkit is because the Vice President, hopefully, is not dumb enough to stand up before all of you and a million Americans watching at home and say exactly what it is that we plan on doing,” Vance said.

His comments came as the seven-month conflict shows little sign of reaching a lasting resolution, despite President Trump suggesting that he believes the fighting may come to an end relatively soon.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Trump is privately weighing whether to announce an end to the conflict. The administration is also facing growing concerns over high energy costs as the United States approaches its midterm elections.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has prolonged the deployment of American troops in West Asia, indicating that US forces are still preparing for the possibility that the confrontation could continue.

Vance’s latest remarks followed another round of attacks between the two sides. US Central Command reported that American forces had hit several targets in Iran, while Tehran carried out attacks on facilities linked to the United States at locations across the Gulf.

Trump said on Wednesday that American forces had launched a “very heavy attack” on Iran, including strikes against military equipment that had recently been positioned near the Strait of Hormuz.

“We hit them hard last night, very hard. They gave a little love tap, but we hit them very hard last night,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office.

Earlier, Trump had said he believed the conflict, which started on Feb. 28, would not last for “very much longer.”

Alongside its military response, the Trump administration has continued increasing financial and economic pressure on Tehran.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently unveiled “Operation Economic Outcast,” an effort focused on disrupting what Washington describes as important sources of revenue for Iran, including its oil, shipping, aviation and digital asset sectors.

The campaign is intended to push Iran further away from global financial systems while limiting the flow of money that US officials say helps sustain the Iranian government.

With military force, diplomatic engagement and economic measures all remaining possible courses of action, Vance’s comments highlighted the administration’s desire to keep its options open while determining its next move toward Tehran.