J.D. Vance said yesterday that the conflict with Iran, which is causing growing discontent among many American voters, as critical congressional elections approach, is not a “war,” while also maintaining that the situation in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz has “almost” returned to normal.
Meanwhile, according to a Wall Street Journal report, while U.S. President Donald Trump is considering declaring a U.S. victory and the end of the armed conflict, his Vice President sought to downplay the recent resurgence of hostilities during a press conference at the White House.
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“I wouldn’t call this a war. Right now, there is no exchange of fire,” Mr. Vance said, even though the U.S. military has launched waves of airstrikes against Iran twice in recent days.
One of the U.S. attacks—which Tehran vowed to avenge—killed four people and wounded dozens more during a wedding.
“Iranian state media has not provided a truly reliable account of what has happened in the conflict so far, so I view this issue with great skepticism,” said Jay D. Vance when asked about the specific strike, adding nonetheless that the U.S. is conducting an “in-depth investigation.”
Furthermore, he refused to say when he expects hostilities to end—when he launched the war alongside Israel six months ago, Donald Trump had spoken of a few weeks at most.
The U.S. government has been insisting for several days now that, according to its figures, ship traffic has increased in the Strait of Hormuz, and Mr. Vance reiterated this yesterday.
“If you go back three months, how much oil and gas was passing through the Strait of Hormuz” amid “Iranian threats? Almost none.”
“Now, we’ve almost returned to the situation before the conflict,” the U.S. Vice President said.
“We have significant control over the Strait of Hormuz. We’re making sure that 30, 40 ships pass through every night,” Donald Trump assured during his interview with the British conservative television network GB News, which aired yesterday.
Trump Launches Head-On Attack on Britain
Meanwhile, Donald Trump claimed yesterday, Thursday, that he saved Britain from the danger of a nuclear attack by launching a war against Iran alongside Israel on February 28, while once again lambasting London’s refusal to get involved in this armed conflict.
The U.S. President also reiterated his claim that certain areas of London are places where “you don’t go” due to lawlessness and immigration, and that the police are “afraid” to patrol there.
He seized the opportunity to lash out once again against the mayor of the British capital, Sadiq Khan, whom he called a “dirty guy.”
Donald Trump made these comments—among others—in an interview with the conservative British television network GB News.
Justifying the war against Iran, he said, “I’m saving your country from the threat as well. Because if Iran had a nuclear weapon, it is more likely to use it against Europe,” since its “missile capabilities” can reach there, rather than against the U.S., where “they cannot reach.”. “I’m saving your country from this problem because (the Iranians) would use it,” he insisted.
Tehran has denied for decades that it seeks to acquire a nuclear arsenal.
In the same interview, the U.S. President again criticized London’s hesitation during the tenure of former Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer to get involved in the war, implying that Washington might cease to support Britain regarding the Falkland Islands—or the Malvinas, as the archipelago is known in Argentina.
He added, “Don’t forget, a large portion of your oil comes through the Strait of Hormuz, and you weren’t there to help me.”
He also reiterated his warning about the threat he believes immigration to Britain and the government’s energy policy pose, speaking of an impending “catastrophe.”
“If you don’t stop the people who are coming en masse to your country from all over the world, you won’t have a country left. If you go to London, London is a very different place. You have a terrible mayor. He’s a filthy guy, a filthy person. He’s a very bad mayor. You have crime rates that are very high, and London is a very different place from what it was 15 or 20 years ago.”
“There are places in Paris and London where even the police don’t want to go (…) There’s no law and order. (The police) are afraid to go there. They’re afraid—or, you know, they don’t want to lose their lives.”
A source close to the mayor of the British capital responded a few hours later to the U.S. president’s remarks, speaking to the Press Association; accusing Donald Trump of having an “obsession” with Sadiq Khan.
“Crime rates have fallen across London,” and “violent crimes are far fewer than in any major U.S. city,” the source countered. The British capital remains “a diverse, multicultural, and thriving global city—the best city in the world. Trump simply can’t stomach our success.”
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Source: CNA
