❓WHAT HAPPENED: Vice President J.D. Vance backed up President Donald J. Trump’s warning to Iran, confirming an 8 PM EST deadline for the Islamic Republic to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Vice President Vance, and the Iranian government.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Statements were made on Tuesday morning and afternoon; the situation pertains to Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
💬KEY QUOTE: “We feel confident we can get a response, whether it’s positive or negative, we’re going to get a response from the Iranians by 8:00 tonight.” – J.D. Vance
🎯IMPACT: The Trump administration is applying pressure on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with Trump warning a “whole civilization will die tonight” if it does not.
Vice President J.D. Vance has backed President Donald J. Trump’s ultimatum to Iran to agree to a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8:00 PM EST. “We feel confident we can get a response, whether it’s positive or negative, we’re going to get a response from the Iranians by 8:00 tonight,” said Vance, adding, “I hope they make the right response.”
The Vice President’s support for the President’s ultimatum was issued alongside a reminder that the administration has several “tools in our toolkit” remaining and that President Trump could use them if Iran did not agree to the terms set out by the U.S.
Notably, the Vice President made no mention of nuclear weapons. In response to a post on X (formerly Twitter) suggesting Vice President Vance’s comments implied support for using nuclear weapons against Iran, the White House said, “Literally nothing [Vice President Vance] said here ‘implies’ this, you absolute buffoons.”
Literally nothing @VP said here “implies” this, you absolute buffoons https://t.co/7JU3wXMaWX
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 7, 2026
President Trump has warned that Iran’s “civilization will die tonight” if the country does not agree to open the Strait of Hormuz, which the Islamic Republic has blockaded since shortly after the war began in late February.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump posted on Truth Social, adding, “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?”
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