Vance says Iran has ‘two pathways’ as Trump’s 12-hour deadline looms

Vice President J.D. Vance said Iran has “two paths” it can take regarding ending the war as President Donald Trump approaches a 12-hour deadline Tuesday for the regime to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on power plants and bridges.

Speaking in Hungary, Vance also said he prayed that the United States would be “on God’s side” in the effort to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“There are two ways this is going to end. First of all, the United States has largely achieved its military objectives,” Vance said. “There are still some things we want to do, for example on Iran’s ability to produce weapons, we want to do a little more work from a military standpoint. But basically the military objectives of the United States are accomplished.”

“I really think there are two paths, and I’m oversimplifying this a little bit, but I think path one is where the Iranians decide to be a normal country. They’re not going to finance terrorism anymore. They’re going to be part of the world system of trade and exchange,” Vance continued. “And it’s going to mean a lot of better things for them economically. It’s going to mean a lot of better things for the peace and security of the world. It’s going to mean a lot of good things for a lot of people all over the planet. That’s option A.”

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“Option B is for the Iranians not to come to the table and stick to terrorism, continue to terrorize their neighbors, not just Israel, but of course their Arab neighbors. Then the economic situation in Iran will continue to be very, very bad. Frankly, it will probably get worse,” the vice president said.

“The President has also made it very clear that, as the Iranians try to extract as much economic costs as possible through the Strait of Hormuz, the United States has the ability to impose economic costs on Iran that are far greater than the costs that Iran could inflict on us or our friends around the world,” Vance said. “So I hope they’re smart. The president set a deadline of about 12 hours from now, and the United States, we’ll find out. But there’s going to be a lot of negotiation between then and then, and I’m hopeful it will come to a good resolution.”

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CENTCOM said in a statement on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, that the US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft “was used to attack Iranian naval ships during Operation Epic Fury.” (US Central Command)

Vance told reporters Tuesday that his attitude toward military conflict is to pray “we’re on God’s side.”

Vance said of the war: “We’re doing this because we don’t want a regime that’s committing acts of terrorism to have the most dangerous weapon in the world. Because that would mean a lot of innocent people would die.” “I hope God approves the decision that Iran not have nuclear weapons, but I will continue to pray about it.”

Vance also accused Iran of initiating “acts of economic terrorism” that impede the free flow of gas and oil around the world.

A satellite image shows the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and vital for global energy supplies. (Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital)

“They have to know, we have tools in our toolbox that we have not yet decided to use. The US president may decide to use them, and he will decide to use them if the Iranians do not change their behavior,” he warned.

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Vance also confirmed Tuesday that “we will strike some military targets on Kharg Island,” adding, “I believe we have done that.”