U.S. Vice President Visits Hungary to Back Orbán Ahead of Election
“Iran Will Answer Before the Final Deadline”
“U.S. War Objectives Have Been Met”
On the 7th (local time), the Associated Press reported that Vance told reporters in Budapest at a joint news conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán that U.S. forces had carried out strikes on military targets on Kharg Island, a major Iranian oil-export hub. “This airstrike does not represent a change in U.S. strategy,” he said. “We intended to strike military targets on Kharg Island, and we believe we did.” Vance was in Hungary to show support for Orbán ahead of the general election.
A U.S. government official said the strikes occurred in the early hours and that at least some of the strikes targeted facilities the U.S. had struck previously. The official added that the strikes did not affect Kharg Island’s oil infrastructure.
Vance said, “The U.S. has already achieved its war objectives,” and stressed that the United States will not target energy and infrastructure sites until Iran makes an offer the U.S. can accept or until it chooses not to make an offer at all. He added that the Kharg Island strikes should not be interpreted as a strategic shift or a change in President Donald Trump’s position.
President Trump set a final negotiation deadline with Iran for 8 p.m. that day (9 a.m. KST on the 8th). On his social media platform Truth Social, he warned Iran: “If a deal is not reached, an entire civilization will be destroyed tonight.”
Vance said he was confident they would receive an answer by 8 p.m., whether positive or negative.
