JD Vance says Iran war will enter ‘much different phase’ in coming months

The US vice president did not provide a specific timeline for an end to US military involvement or say what form the next phase would take.

US Vice President JD Vance said the Iran war will enter a “much different phase” in the coming months, describing the conflict as having moved beyond its initial phase of targeting Iran’s nuclear and conventional military capabilities.

Vance made the remarks in an interview with the New York Post aboard Air Force Two on Monday. He said the future course of the conflict could not be predicted but backed President Donald Trump’s assessment that the situation would change significantly in the coming months.

Vance says first phase of Iran war is over

Vance outlined what he described as two phases of the conflict.

“There are really two phases to this thing, and the first phase is done,” he said.

According to Vance, the first phase focused on destroying Iran’s nuclear programme, weakening its conventional military and reducing its ability to project power in the region.

“And then the second phase of this is ensure that they’re not able to rebuild and try to maintain as much global stability in the wake of that,” he said.

‘Much different phase’ in a few months

Vance said the conflict could look substantially different within a few months, while stressing that he could not predict exactly how events would unfold.

“We can’t predict the future, but I think the president is right to say that this thing will enter a much different phase in a couple of months,” Vance said.

He also pointed to Trump’s authority as commander in chief, saying the president determines when conflicts begin and end.

“He’s also the commander in chief, so he’s the person who determines … when conflicts start and when they stop,” Vance said.

Vance says US is not conducting aggressive operations

Addressing public impatience over the prolonged conflict, Vance said the United States was not currently conducting what he described as aggressive operations.

“I certainly understand there’s some impatience from the American people, but fundamentally what’s happening right now is that the United States is not engaged in aggressive operations. We’re just not,” he said.

Vance added that Iranian forces were still occasionally firing at commercial shipping, although he said such attacks were “usually not successfully” carried out.

Strait of Hormuz remains a key issue

The comments come as the Strait of Hormuz remains a major focus of the conflict. The New York Post reported that traffic through the strategic waterway had recovered to more than half of normal levels, although crossings remained well below pre-war levels. The strait normally handles roughly one-fifth of the world's seaborne oil flows.

US forces had worked to clear mines from the waterway, while Iranian attacks on commercial vessels have continued intermittently.

Trump has linked war timeline to midterm elections

Vance's comments follow Trump's recent statements that the conflict could enter a new phase after the US midterm elections in November.

Trump has said he expects the war to end immediately after the election.

The remarks also come as the administration faces competing assessments about how long the conflict could last.

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