“We wiped out Iran.” Donald Trump once again claimed credit for the scope of the U.S. military operation against Tehran during an interview with his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, with whom he appears to have publicly buried the hatchet after years of accusations, insults and legal battles. The U.S. president took part in his former aide’s radio program on WABC in New York and also addressed the Strait of Hormuz, saying that “the U.S. essentially controls the Strait of Hormuz and will soon have full control.”

The meeting between Trump and Cohen marks a striking reconciliation. Cohen, once a loyal fixer for the president, had become one of his fiercest critics and even testified against him in the Stormy Daniels case. Now, after years of allegations and legal disputes, the two have publicly adopted a more conciliatory tone.

Vance: “War enters a new phase”

The conflict with Iran has “entered a new phase” in which the most effective tool available to the United States is economic pressure on Tehran, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show. “We are now, so to speak, in a new phase where the most effective instrument we have is the economic pressure we can exert on them,” Vance explained, adding that in recent weeks Iran “has suffered much more pressure from us.” He said the U.S. has managed to move significant quantities of oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz despite Iranian attacks on commercial ships, helping to ease energy prices while also hitting Iran’s economy. “Do they want their economy to be strangled forever or do they want a better relationship with the West?” Vance asked.

The vice president reiterated that Washington’s goal is not only to ensure that Iran’s nuclear facilities remain destroyed, but also to prevent Tehran from attempting to rebuild them. “The president has said that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Their nuclear facilities have been destroyed, but the question is: will they try to rebuild them? Fundamentally, what we are trying to do is create a new reality on the ground where we can not only say with certainty that their facilities were destroyed, but also say with certainty that they will never try to rebuild them,” he said.

The China issue

Meanwhile, Beijing has said that U.S. “sanctions and pressure” are not the solution, after the United States called on its allies and China to join forces to economically pressure Iran.

“Sanctions and pressure will not solve the problem,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press conference. “China urges all parties involved to take responsible measures and to resolve the issue through political and diplomatic channels,” Lin added.

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