Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that the US would continue military strikes against Iran if it resumes attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, saying Tehran had violated an agreement to halt the actions.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Vance said the US agreed to lift its naval blockade after Iran pledged to stop targeting ships in the strategic waterway.
"The basic deal that we cut was we'll lift our blockade if you stop shooting at ships, but if you shoot at ships, we're going to punch back, and we're going to punch back harder than ever before," he said.
Iran resumed attacks on ships about a week after the agreement was reached, according to Vance.
"If they shoot at ships, we're going to knock the hell out of them. It's that simple," he said, adding that President Donald Trump "maintains a lot of options" for responding.
Vance said Trump has made clear that the Strait of Hormuz "is going to be open," adding, "If they try to close it down, there's going to be a response from the American military."
His remarks came hours after Trump said the memorandum of understanding signed with Iran to end the war was "over," and that the US will "probably" hit Iran again Wednesday night.
The US military US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it conducted strikes on Tuesday night "in immediate response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz."
Meanwhile, Iran accused the US of violating a framework agreement between the two countries, saying Washington's "unilateral" actions and attacks undermine the memorandum of understanding.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei wrote on the US social media company X that the memorandum "was, from the very first step, based not on trust but on a clear mechanism of 'commitment in return for commitment.'"
He said despite the explicit wording of Article Five of the memorandum, which entrusts Iran with determining arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, "the US has challenged the provision and, through its unilateral actions as well as its aggressive attacks against Iran, has effectively violated the framework of the agreement."
