Low oil prices now ‘goal No. 1’ in Iran war, Vance says, as U.S. threatens new economic pressure

Keeping gas prices low is now the United States’ “goal No.

Keeping gas prices low is now the United States’ “goal No. 1” in the Iran war, Vice President JD Vance has said, as Washington threatened an indefinite naval blockade and signaled it would soon intensify economic pressure on Tehran.

The comments appeared to be the latest shift in the public rationale for the conflict, with Vance ranking Iran’s nuclear ambitions second.

The vice president’s remarks came as the Trump administration embraced a long-term effort to inflict more damage on the Islamic Republic, despite growing signs of strain on American forces and domestic pressure ahead of the midterm elections.

President Donald Trump has suggested a shift away from military force in favor of “low-keying it” with economic pressure. That followed a deadly cycle of tit-for-tat exchanges that produced no clear resolution and depleted U.S. reserves of missile interceptors.

Add NBC News to GoogleParent says son feels a sense of ‘powerlessness’ aboard USS Abraham Lincoln04:16Oil and gas prices spiked worldwide after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Markets have since calmed since that early peak, but prices are still significantly higher than before the conflict and rose again early Friday after the most recent remarks from Vance and others.