Hours before new military strikes were exchanged in the Strait of Hormuz, US Vice-President JD Vance reiterated the administration’s confident stance on the ongoing conflict with Iran. Speaking to HBO’s Bill Maher, Vance said, “If we make the final deal, then great. If we don’t make the final deal, their nuclear program is still destroyed. They’re still much weaker as a country, so my attitude is America wins either way.”

The fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran has been increasingly tested with retaliatory strikes over the weekend. The US Central Command (Centcom) confirmed that the US military launched further strikes on multiple targets in Iran, a day after retaliating for a drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

Former President Donald Trump also claimed the US holds the upper hand in the conflict. Posting on Truth Social following Saturday’s strikes, Trump warned, “There may come ‌a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and ‌will be forced to militarily ​complete the job that we very successfully started.”

In other news, Trump announced his intention to nominate Lance Schroyer as the next director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), succeeding David Venturella. Trump highlighted Schroyer’s credentials on Truth Social, noting he “has over 29 YEARS of Law Enforcement experience in Oklahoma — A State where I WON all 77 Counties in 2016, 2020, and 2024! Lance is a former Oklahoma State Trooper, and United States Marine.”