United States Vice President JD Vance says that the U.S. has “accomplished our objectives” in Iran and could wind down the war anytime. If that’s the case, then why would Donald Trump insist on a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in an attempt to get the Iranian regime to come to the negotiation table over its nuclear weapons program?

In a Fox News interview on Monday, after US negotiators left talks in Pakistan without securing an agreement to end the conflict, Vance said Washington had made “a lot of progress” in the negotiations, adding that “the ball is in Iran’s court” on whether to move forward.

“I do think that we’re in a place where we’ve accomplished our objectives. We can start to wind this thing down. I’d much rather wind this thing down with a big successful negotiation,” he said.

Vance Fails In Iran: No Peace Deal

Vance suggested that Iranian negotiators were “unable to cut a deal” without sign-off from other authorities and returned to Tehran to seek approval for US terms. “Whether we have further conversations, whether we ultimately get to a deal, I really think the ball is in the Iranian court,” Vance said, according to a report by RT. 

Vance’s comments came mere hours after the US Navy began blocking ships at Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump Threatens to Blockade The Strait of Hormuz

This is a move that President Donald Trump said was meant to force Tehran back to talks and reopen the vital oil artery, the disruption of which has sent energy prices skyrocketing.

Tehran remains deeply skeptical of Washington’s intentions, even after ceasefire-related preconditions were discussed, Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said. “We simply do not trust them,” he added, questioning whether a country that “elevates arrogance and colonialism to a guiding principle” can be relied on to honor its commitments. -RT

Regardless of all the rhetoric, the war is still very much underway. The ceasefire has been ineffective, and the blockade will ensure gas prices continue to rise for the everyday human just trying to get by.