Vance Says US Won't Resume Iran Talks Until Hormuz Shipping Attacks Stop

Vice President JD Vance said the United States will only resume negotiations with Tehran if Iran stops targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, stating 'we are not going to talk to them unless they stop shooting at commercial shipping.' He said oil flow through the strait had approached prewar levels, citing roughly 15 million barrels exiting the channel the prior night.

Why this matters. Conditioning any resumption of US-Iran diplomacy on halting tanker attacks sets a concrete, verifiable bar for de-escalation and signals Washington sees improved Hormuz shipping volumes as a precondition rather than a result of talks.