U.S. Vice President JD Vance says Washington has destroyed Iran’s nuclear program, conventional military capacity and much of its asymmetric capability, and is now testing whether Tehran will accept long-term changes for a better relationship with the United States. He says the U.S. will otherwise maintain pressure while seeking the restoration of Gulf oil and gas flows to lower energy costs. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian rejects the U.S. framing, saying clashes followed alleged violations of an Iran–Oman memorandum governing Strait of Hormuz navigation. Tehran says the Oman negotiations are aimed at resolving those disputes and ending the “neither war nor peace” situation; Iranian officials link a full reopening of the waterway to U.S. redress for what Iran calls memorandum violations and agreement on a new shipping arrangement.
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