Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

There were no surprises in the White House press briefing, which saw US Vice President JD Vance tackle questions on the economy, the war in Iran, and the impact it is having on Americans.

Overall, the vice president seemed upbeat that the US strategy is working, that ships are getting through the Strait of Hormuz and that a downturn in prices is around the corner.

But until voters see lower prices, Vance and other administration officials will continue to have to address those questions.

Several other questions went largely unanswered, including ones about reports a US strike killed four at a wedding in Southern Iran and about Vance's own political future once Donald Trump leaves the White House.

We have so far no indication of who will give the next White House press briefing, or when it will be - but barring any unforeseen circumstances, the administration will likely continue to have to field similar questions.

For now, we're bringing our live coverage to a close - stay up to date with the latest news and analysis here.

At today's White House press briefing, the first in weeks, Vice-President JD Vance covered a number of topics, including the war in Iran and the upcoming US midterm elections.

Here's a recap of what we heard:

• On the economy, Vance was pressed on why Republicans and the Trump administration should not be blamed for high prices
• He responded that the US inflation problem was not created in a day and the Trump administration is doing everything it can to bring down prices
• Asked if the war with Iran will be over by the midterm elections, Vance said he "wouldn't call it a war" and there is "no active shooting right now"
• He added that the US is trying to stop the Iranians from shooting at commercial ships and that efforts have prevented a global energy crisis
• "Everything" is on the table to pressure the Iranian government, Vance said, including economic, military, diplomatic, and covert pressure
• Vance said it's important that the US is not too reliant on one energy supply as he praised the US-Venezuela oil deal as "win-win". He also criticised European allies for not helping to stabilise world energy markets

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Shortly before the press briefing ended, Vance was asked about economic measures to isolate Iran - and how they can be successful without China.

He says he thinks China is "willing to play ball here".

He says while there might be some misalignment between the US and China, "they are not the sort of nation that shoots at commercial shipping because they're not getting their way in an international dispute".

They have been "much more responsible" than Iran, he adds.

Listing several other countries like Turkey, Azerbaijan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, he says they are doing "a lot of good things" to help the US ensure Iran pays a penalty for firing at commercial shipping.

It's about denying Iran the economic resources to rebuild its nuclear programme, should it decide to do so, he says. "So far, we haven't seen them try to do so", he adds.

Vice President JD Vance has now wrapped up the White House press briefing.

We'll bring you a recap of all the key lines from the meeting shortly.

Image source, EPA

Vance is asked about the 2028 presidential election and whether he would support Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth or Texas Senator Ted Cruz if they were to make a bid for the White House two years from now.

Vance dodges the question, saying he is focused on the November midterm elections and trying to get as many Republicans in office as possible.

He describes Hegseth as "a great guy" and says Cruz is "authentic and likeable".

"I could see myself supporting a whole host of people," he says of 2028, but notes that he is currently supporting a whole host of people in elections that are coming up far sooner.

Vance is asked how concerned he is about cyber attacks by Iranian hackers.

He says it is the administration's job to be concerned about everything and adds that he does not want the public to be paralysed by risk.

He says he is "quite confident that the homeland is safe" and he is also quite confident that the Iranians are going to try and do more.

Vance says people should be more worried about cyber attacks from other actors and calls the Iranians "quite limited".

He says Iran's ability to carry out cyber attacks is not zero but low compared to other countries.

Image source, Reuters

Vance is asked how much the administration cares about the current state of bond markets, which are highly volatile and facing rising yields.

The vice-president says the Federal Reserve should be lowering interest rates. He adds that it would be "proper and responsible" for them to do so.

For deeper questions about bond markets, he defers to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

"Obviously, we care about this issue," he says. "We're doing a lot of things to try to keep those interest rates down. But it would be nice to have some help from the Federal Reserve."

Vance is now asked whether the Iran war will be over by the time the midterms come around.

"I wouldn't call it a war", he says, adding that there is "no active shooting right now".

He says "major combat operations lasted about six weeks," adding that Iran's nuclear facilities, industrial base and conventional military have been destroyed.

Vance says if the question is when Iranians will stop shooting at ships, he doesn't know the answer: "You would have to ask the Iranians."

Asked when it will stop affecting energy markets, he argues that it is having "less effect day by day".

He says the US is using the tools at its disposal to ensure people "never have to deal with the threat of an Iranian nuclear programme" and that world energy markets are "properly supplied".

Image source, Reuters

The vice-president is again asked about Iran. A reporter asks if the US blockade of Iranian ports is indefinite, and how the US plans to declare an end to the war if a blockade remains in place.

Vance says major combat operations in Iran are not ongoing, and the US has made it harder for Iran to shoot at commercial shipping to preserve the flow of oil and gas.

Fifteen million barrels of oil came through the Strait of Hormuz last night, he says. "That's because of the United States," he adds, saying if not for the US there would be a "catastrophic global energy crisis".

As far as negotiations with Iran, Vance says the two countries are not speaking and won't until Iran starts shooting at commercial ships.

Vance is asked if the US is considering arming or giving direct support to Iranian dissidents in reference to a social media post by US President Donald Trump.

The vice-president says the US is doing a lot to pressure the Iranians.

He says the US is "protecting a lot of ships" and is trying to stop the Iranians from shooting at commercial shipping. He says this means that the US has managed to prevent an energy crisis.

Vance says he will not advertise how the US will engage with the Iranians in the months and years to come.

He says that "everything that could happen is on the table" and lists economic, military, diplomatic, and covert pressure as options.

Image source, Reuters

Vance is now asked about the recent resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

Driscoll's exit - the latest in a string of recent high-profile military leaders to depart - came after months of conflict between him and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, the BBC's US partner CBS News has reported. But the specific source of tension is unclear, according to CBS.

Vance says America has fought a lot of wars, but had not won many of them until Trump came into office. He asks, what does that say about US military culture and political leadership?

Hegseth has focused on reviving the "warrior spirit" within the US military, he says, adding that under President Joe Biden, the military was "woke".

The military is in a "much better place" than it was 18 months ago, but the "rot got so deep" that there's still work to do, he says.

Vance is now asked about an alleged US strike on an Iranian wedding celebration.

He says the US is investigating this.

"I will say that Iranian state media has not been a very good scribe about what's happened in the conflict thus far," he says, adding: "I'm extremely sceptical of this".

Vance says the US never targets civilians in conflicts: "We never will do that, we never have done that".

He says unfortunately things sometimes happen, but that the US doesn't have any information on this particular incident currently.

"If we do make mistakes... [the US] military learns from them," he says, reiterating that it's being investigated "very fully".

Image source, Reuters

Vance is asked when Americans can expect lower gas prices.

"We're talking about things that are inherently unpredictable," he says, but adds that the part of the reason for the high prices is "because the Iranians are shooting at commercial shipping".

The vice-president says it's important that the US not be too reliant on one energy supply, and he again praises the Venezuelan oil deal as "so important".

"Yes, gas prices are high in the US, but they're worse everywhere else in the world," he said.

He also criticises European allies for not helping to stabilise world energy markets.

"Why is it incumbent on the United States of America to be the only country in the world that can actually ensure world energy markets stay supplied?" he says.

We're trying to stop a worldwide energy crisis, he says, adding that gas prices could have been a lot higher if it were not for US efforts.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Vice-President Vance was just asked about the economy - and why Republicans and the Trump administration should not be blamed for any lingering economic woes.

As is often the case at White House press briefings, Vance has blamed many of the issues facing Americans on Joe Biden's former administration.

Trump and Vance, after all, relied extremely heavily on the economy on the 2024 campaign trail, tapping into voter concerns about inflation during the Biden administration.

The current administration now finds itself in a somewhat similar position, with many Americans extremely concerned about affordability issues and high prices, particularly petrol prices that rose after Operation Epic Fury began in Iran in February.

Trump, Vance and other administration officials are now spending considerable effort to communicate to voters about those issues and what is being done about them.

Notably, the Venezuelan oil deal was among the first questions - and Vance carefully framed it as a deal that benefits Americans.

The next question for Vance is about the upcoming midterm elections and why voters should not blame Republicans for high prices.

Vance points out that inflation was at a "record high" under the Biden administration and says he doesn't care who caused it, only how to fix it.

The vice president says it takes "a little bit of time to rebuild the foundation of America's middle-class economy".

He lists policies such as removing taxes on social security, tips and overtime and says that building new factories and facilities is helping to create jobs.

Vance adds that the US inflation problem was not created in a day and repeats that the Trump administration is doing everything it can to bring down prices.

He insists that the Democrats would undo the Trump administration's efforts to reduce inflation.

Image source, Reuters

After paying tribute to his wife Usha and their six-week-old baby, Vance takes questions from the media.

First, he is asked about if the White House plans to continue Karoline Leavitt's efforts to include "new media", or "non-legacy media", in press briefings.

Vance thanks Leavitt for her service as White House press secretary, a position she left at the end of last month, adding that she texted him to say good luck ahead of today's briefing.

Vance goes on to say the last few decades have seen a rise of digital media, allowing more people to connect with the American public.

A lot of Americans don't feel represented by legacy media, he says, vowing to continue including new media in these press briefings.

"You should not have to have a fancy credential or a lot of money to tell a story to the American people," Vance says.

Vice-President JD Vance takes to the podium after a 45-minute delay.

He starts with announcements on road safety and anti-fraud measures, saying it ties into a broader effort to ensure tax dollars are "protected by your government".

Vance says he also wants to speak about the Venezuela oil deal, calling it a "testament to what smart foreign policy could look like".

He criticises the Biden administration for "draining" petroleum reserves "purely for the purpose of lowering gas and oil costs", accusing them of "trying to juice gas prices for the midterms".

Vance says reserves got "extraordinarily low" as a result.

He says in the wake of the Venezuela operation, they are now creating a new 65 billion barrel oil reserve for the US.

Both the US and Venezuela will benefit from the deal, he says. "It's a win-win thing; we're very proud of it," he says.

Image source, Reuters

Vice-President JD Vance has just arrived in the White House briefing room and is taking to the podium.

Tap watch live to follow along at the top of the page. We'll also bring you the key lines here.

Image source, Reuters

JD Vance is yet to appear to host the White House press briefing.

The briefing room was packed ahead of the 13:00 local start time (18:00 BST), with journalists packed in the aisles, reports our correspondent in the room.

We will bring you the latest updates from the White House as soon as we can.

One topic almost certain to come up is Iran.

Hostilities in the Middle East have been heating up again this week as US forces launched a wave of new strikes on Iranian targets on Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump described the strikes as a “very heavy attack", but said the renewed fighting would not last "too long".

The strikes prompted Iran to retaliate against allied bases in the region used by the US, including in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

Vice-President JD Vance, who has played a key role in past negotiations between the US and Iran, told Fox News this week that the strikes on Iran were in response to Iran trying to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

He called Iranian leadership “really, really crazy” and said they're willing to do anything to restrict the flow of oil through the strait.