Interviewed on Fox News\u2019s The Will Cain Show Thursday, Vance again attempted to clarify the purpose of the war amid criticism over the administration\u2019s mixed messaging, saying its aim was \u201ctwofold.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s ensuring that the Gulf countries continue to send oil and gas to the world economy so that we have energy price stability, that\u2019s obviously important for the American people,\u201d he told Cain<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that oil is down today and it\u2019s way down from the highs in the early days of the conflict. That\u2019s goal number one \u2013 keep oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country and then obviously goal number two is ensure that Iran<\/a> never gets a nuclear weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued: \u201cI feel confident we\u2019re accomplishing both of those goals but it\u2019s inherently an unpredictable thing because the Iranians themselves are unpredictable and they sometimes don\u2019t honor the commitments they\u2019ve made to us.\u201d<\/p>\n Domestic gas prices were steady prior to the launch of the U.S. and Israel\u2019s Operation Epic Fury strikes on Iran on February 28, to which Tehran responded by retaliating against those countries\u2019 allies in the region and by shutting off the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 percent of global oil is shipped.<\/p>\n With the U.S. Navy currently blockading the waterway but Iran still seemingly in control<\/a>, the passage of tankers has slowed to a trickle, limiting the supply of oil and driving up prices at the pump \u2013 despite Vance\u2019s attempted reassurances.<\/p>\n As of Friday morning, the U.S. national average gas price stood at $4.07 a gallon, according to the AAA\u2019s index<\/a>, a further increase coming two days after it hit an all-time high for mid-August<\/a>. The latest figure also represents an increase from $3.86 a month ago and $3.16 a year ago. <\/p>\n The hike could come back to bite the GOP in November, given that voters have consistently told pollsters that affordability and inflation are their top priorities<\/a> and that they do not believe President Donald Trump<\/a> has done enough to address them.<\/p>\n Vance is known to have opposed the Iran war before it began<\/a> but assured Trump he would support him if he decided to go ahead, subsequently leading the peace talks that resulted in the signing of a short-lived memorandum of understanding between the two sides.<\/p>\n Since the resumption of hostilities, the VP has continued to make his fears known, saying on a recent appearance on Joe Rogan\u2019s podcast that he does not back U.S. boots on the ground<\/a> in the Middle East, warning of further bloodshed and a likely humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n For his part, Trump\u2019s rhetoric has see-sawed between making violent existential threats against the Iranian regime and insisting its leaders are \u201cdesperate\u201d to make a deal with him, neither of which has resolved the stalemate.<\/p>\n The president has recently talked about \u201clow keying it,\u201d<\/a> stepping back and allowing the economic pressure applied by sanctions on the country to take its toll, rather than engaging in further strikes to try to pummel it into submission.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are only semi-negotiating with them,\u201d he told Axios. \u201cWe are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money.\u201d<\/p>\n He has also bragged about the success of his blockade, writing on Truth Social: \u201cOur Naval Blockade is being called, by everyone, \u2018A WALL OF STEEL,\u2019 and there is nothing Iran can do about it.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Vice](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Vance.png\")
Vice President JD Vance says bringing down gas prices is ‘goal number one’ in the Iran war (Fox News)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2289908021...jpeg\")
The passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed to a trickle because of the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, driving up global gas prices (Getty)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2290395767...jpeg\")
The U.S. national average gas price stood at $4.07 Friday, having already hit an all-time high for mid-August (Getty)<\/p>\n