‘Stop Acting Like Crazy People’

JD Vance says Iran knows exactly what it has to do if it wants Washington back at the negotiating table.

Stop shooting at commercial ships.

“We are not talking to the Iranians, and we are not going to talk to them unless they stop shooting at commercial shipping,” the vice president said during Thursday’s White House briefing.

His advice to Tehran was even simpler: “Stop acting like crazy people.”

Vance also pushed back when asked whether the conflict would be over before the November midterms.

“I wouldn’t call it a war,” he said, arguing the timeline ultimately depends on whether Tehran stops attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Vance said Iran’s grip on the critical waterway is “effectively gone” and claimed oil traffic is approaching pre-conflict levels, with roughly 15 million barrels moving through the Strait Wednesday night alone. Independent estimates from late August put broader Persian Gulf oil exports at roughly 15–16 million barrels per day, still below pre-conflict levels. CNN Transcripts

“The reason gas prices are so high right now is because the Iranians are shooting at commercial shipping,” Vance said.

Watch the clip below:

VP Vance on gas prices and the U.S.-Iran war: “The reason gas prices are so high right now is because the Iranians are shooting at commercial shipping… Yes, gas prices are higher in the United States, they’re way worse everywhere else in the world.” pic.twitter.com/4S99rYZNOk

— CSPAN (@cspan) September 3, 2026