Vice president says US will respond if Iran attacks shipping in Strait of Hormuz

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U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance speaks during a press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., United States, on June 18, 2026. [Mehmet Eser - Anadolu Agency]https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AA-20260618-41715108-41715095-US_VICE_PRESIDENT_JD_VANCE_HOLDS_PRESS_BRIEFING_AT_WHITE_HOUSE-1.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" width="1200" />
Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that the US would continue military strikes against Iran if it resumes attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, saying Tehran had violated an agreement to halt the actions, Anadolu reports.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Vance said the US agreed to lift its naval blockade after Iran pledged to stop targeting ships in the strategic waterway. “The basic deal that we cut was we’ll lift our blockade if you stop shooting at ships, but if you shoot at ships, we’re going to punch back, and we’re going to punch back harder than ever before,” he said.

Iran resumed attacks on ships about a week after the agreement […]

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