Vice President JD Vance says the U.S. conflict with Iran could enter a “much different phase” within the next several months as the Trump administration tries to prevent Tehran from rebuilding its military capabilities while restoring stability around the Strait of Hormuz.
Vance’s comments came after President Donald Trump predicted that the war could end “immediately after” the November midterm elections, although neither official offered a detailed timetable for how the conflict would conclude.
“We can’t predict the future, but I think the president is right to say that this thing will enter a much different phase in a couple of months,” Vance told the New York Post aboard Air Force Two.
Vance emphasized that Trump, as commander in chief, ultimately determines when U.S. military operations begin and end.
He also acknowledged public impatience with the conflict while arguing that current U.S. operations are more limited than earlier phases of the war.
Vance said American forces are not presently engaged in what he characterized as aggressive operations, while Iran continues intermittent attacks on commercial shipping.
The vice president described the conflict as unfolding in two distinct phases.
“There are really two phases to this thing, and the first phase is done,” Vance said.
He described that initial phase as an effort to destroy or seriously degrade Iran’s nuclear program, conventional military capabilities, and ability to project power throughout the region.
Vance said the second phase focuses on preventing Tehran from rebuilding those capabilities while trying to preserve broader regional stability.
That effort remains complicated by continued attacks and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy corridors.
Commercial traffic through the strait remains far below prewar levels despite U.S. military efforts to secure the waterway.
Reuters reported Wednesday that only four vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, compared with approximately 125 large commercial vessels per day before the war began in February.
Those public tracking figures do not necessarily capture ships operating with their transponders switched off for security reasons.
Roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas traditionally moves through the Strait of Hormuz, making disruptions there significant for global energy markets.
U.S. forces have spent months clearing mines and protecting commercial vessels, while American officials say Iranian forces continue attempting attacks or seizures in the area.
U.S. officials said Monday that American forces destroyed two Iranian boats after they attempted to seize a Navy unmanned vessel operating in the strait.
The conflict has also imposed a growing financial cost on Washington.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the war has cost approximately $38 billion and could continue adding roughly $3 billion per month if operations persist.
Vance played a role in negotiations that produced a June memorandum of understanding aimed at reducing hostilities and opening discussions over Iran’s nuclear program.
The agreement lowered the intensity of some direct fighting but did not end attacks around major shipping routes or eliminate broader tensions.
Trump said last week that he believes oil prices will begin falling after the midterm elections and predicted that the Iran conflict would end shortly afterward.
“I think the war will end immediately after the election because they can’t hold out any longer,” Trump told reporters.
It remains unclear whether the administration expects diplomacy, additional military pressure, or some combination of the two to produce the change Trump and Vance are describing.
Vance said the immediate objective is to make sure Iran cannot rebuild the capabilities the United States says it destroyed earlier in the war.
For now, the fighting has not ended, commercial shipping remains disrupted, and American forces continue operating throughout the region, the New York Post reported.
But Vance is now publicly signaling that the administration believes the current stage of the conflict may not last much longer in its present form.
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