Vance’s comments came as, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Donald Trump is considering announcing a “victory” for the United States and the end of the armed conflict with Iran.

Speaking at a White House press conference, the U.S. vice president sought to portray the situation as under control, despite the fact that U.S. armed forces have carried out two waves of airstrikes against targets in Iran in recent days.

“I wouldn’t call this a war. At this point, there is no exchange of fire,” Vance said.

One of the U.S. attacks, for which Tehran has announced that it will retaliate, resulted in four people being killed and dozens of others injured, including people attending a wedding ceremony.

U.S. Challenges Iran’s Figures on the Strikes

Asked about the particular attack, J.D. Vance questioned the credibility of figures released by the Iranian authorities.

“Iranian state media don’t really provide a reliable accounting of what has happened in the conflict so far, so I approach that issue with a great deal of skepticism,” he said.

At the same time, he added that the United States is conducting a “thorough investigation” into the incident.

The 42-year-old Republican vice president nevertheless declined to provide a timeline for the end of hostilities, despite the fact that when Donald Trump launched the military operation together with Israel six months ago, he had suggested it would last only a few weeks.

Washington: The Situation in Hormuz Is “Almost Normal”

In recent days, the U.S. administration has maintained that the number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz has increased, a position Vance also reiterated.

“If you go back three months, how much oil and gas was coming out through the Strait of Hormuz amid Iranian threats? Almost none,” he said.

“Now, we’re almost back to the situation before the conflict,” he added.

For his part, Donald Trump told the British conservative television network GB News that the United States has “great control” over the Strait of Hormuz.

“We’re making sure that 30, 40 ships pass through every night,” the U.S. president claimed.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright referred to 17 million barrels of oil passing through the waterway, while Trump posted a chart on Truth Social citing 18 million barrels per day—a figure close to pre-war levels of approximately 20 million barrels per day.

However, shipping-traffic data indicate that the situation remains different from what it was before the crisis.

According to an analysis by Agence France-Presse, based on data from the maritime-tracking platform Kpler, the number of vessels carrying oil, hydrocarbons, fertilizers and minerals fell to an average of 10 per day after Tehran closed the Strait on March 1.

In February, before the crisis, the average was 95 passages per day.

A temporary agreement in principle between Washington and Tehran in mid-June, which theoretically paved the way for talks aimed at ending the conflict, temporarily increased the number of passages to around 36 per day.

However, with the renewed escalation of hostilities from July 8 to August 22, the number fell again to around 15 passages per day.

“Ghost Ships” and Uncertainty

Since July 8, around two-thirds of passages through the Strait of Hormuz have been made by vessels classified as “ghost ships,” according to Kpler.

These are vessels whose movements cannot be accurately verified because they often switch off their location-transmitting devices, experience interference, or lack available satellite imagery.

Before the crisis began, the share of such vessels was below 1%, indicating that despite Washington’s statements, shipping through this critical maritime route continues to be significantly affected.