WASHINGTON — The United States is placing keeping oil and gasoline prices low for Americans at the top of its objectives in the conflict with Iran, Vice President JD Vance said, signaling a shift in emphasis as Washington seeks to restore energy flows disrupted by the fighting.
Vance said in an interview that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons remained an important goal but ranked behind ensuring affordable energy for U.S. consumers. His comments come as the Trump administration faces continued pressure from elevated fuel prices and an increasingly disrupted global oil market.
The shift comes as Washington has threatened to maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely and intensify economic pressure on Tehran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that the U.S. military could sustain the blockade by rotating naval forces in and out of the region.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration would announce additional measures against Iran next week, describing them as unprecedented in the history of economic isolation. The United States has already imposed extensive sanctions targeting Iran's oil trade and shipping networks.
The administration's economic strategy faces a contradiction: efforts to pressure Iran and restore control over the Strait of Hormuz risk further disrupting oil supplies and pushing prices higher in the short term.
Brent crude was trading around $87 a barrel on Friday, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate was around $81. Both benchmarks were headed for weekly gains after Washington's threat to sustain the blockade. The Strait of Hormuz carried about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before the conflict began in February, according to Reuters.
Shipping through the strait has slowed sharply. Two vessels operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. were attacked while transiting the waterway on Thursday, according to the UAE's state news agency, which blamed Iran. Tehran did not immediately comment on the accusation.
U.S.-Iranian efforts to revive a June ceasefire agreement have also stalled. Iran has demanded the removal of sanctions and the release of frozen assets as conditions for restoring passage through the strait, while Washington has accused Tehran of restricting international shipping.
For now, the administration is combining economic pressure with the naval blockade, while officials have indicated that further sanctions measures are expected next week.
