At a critical moment on the world stage, US Vice President J.D. Vance was left floundering during a press conference after realizing he was surprised by new developments in the crisis with Iran.
Reporters asked him to check his phone for updates on the alleged US strikes, the Daily Beast reported.Vance was standing next to Hungarian President Viktor Orban in Budapest when a Washington Post reporter asked him if he had any intelligence that suggested a diplomatic deal with Iran was imminent. At first, Vance responded without using his device. “I don’t do that, unless I have a text from Steve Witkoff,” he said, referring to Trump’s former adviser and Middle East envoy.
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Only after he reached into his pocket did the Vice President realize that he actually had a message. “I have a message from Steve Witkoff,” he admitted after glancing at the text. “Don’t you want to know what this letter is about? But no, uh, I have to read it first before I talk about it.” Then he asked: “But here, here… Ah, what time is it in the United States now?”The exchange came moments after US President Donald Trump published a post warning that “an entire civilization will die tonight” if Iran does not meet the 8 p.m. deadline for reaching an agreement.
Minutes later, a Reuters reporter pressed Vance further, suggesting that he check his phone more carefully. “I think you should read this text because we have reports that the United States is hitting some targets on Kharg Island,” she said. The reporter added: “You said that the military objectives of this war have been achieved. Can you help us understand why the president continues to threaten to attack every bridge and every power plant in Iran?”Kharg Island is a major Iranian export hub off the country’s coast, handling about 90% of its crude oil exports.
On Tuesday, reports emerged that it had been bombed again, following a US attack in March that hit facilities including a cache of naval mines and missile bunkers.“So you asked about Kharg Island,” Vance replied during the conference. “You know, you know, after I talked to Pete (Hegseth) and General Keane about this, is that we were going to hit some military targets on Kharg Island, and I think we did that.”“He (the president) has said very clearly, ‘We’re not going to hit energy and infrastructure targets until the Iranians make a proposal that we can support or they don’t make a proposal.’ But he gave them until Tuesday, 8 a.m., so I don’t think the news about Kharg Island represents a change in strategy,” Vance added.In response to the overall situation, Vance defended the administration’s approach, saying: “The president of the United States is a man who recognizes influence, and that if the Iranians want to impose a certain amount of pain, the United States has the ability to impose a much greater amount of pain.”
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The US president also threatened Iran with massive strikes on its infrastructure, warning: “Tuesday will be power plant day, and bridge day, all in one day, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the strait, you crazy person, or you will live in hell – just watch!”During the press conference, Vance also reiterated Trump’s position, saying: “I hope Iran will make the right response. We have tools in our toolkit that we haven’t decided to use yet. President Trump can decide to use them, and he will decide to use them if the Iranians don’t change their course of behavior.”