WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance took the White House briefing-room podium Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026 — about 45 minutes late — for the first formal press briefing in weeks after press secretary Karoline Leavitt left the job. No permanent replacement has been named; rotating officials have been filling the slot. Vance thanked Leavitt, said she texted him good luck, and pledged to keep “new media” in the room: “You should not have to have a fancy credential or a lot of money to tell a story to the American people.”

Asked whether the Iran conflict would be finished before the November midterms, Vance declined the war label. “I wouldn’t call it a war,” he said, adding that there is “no active shooting right now,” according to BBC and Washington Examiner reporting from the room. He said major combat operations lasted about six weeks, citing strikes that hit Iranian nuclear facilities, the defense industrial base, and conventional forces, and argued it would be irresponsible to publish an end-date while Tehran keeps shooting at commercial ships. “You would have to ask the Iranians,” he said.

Energy was the political nerve. Pushed on high U.S. gas prices ahead of the midterms, Vance said part of the reason is that “Iranians are shooting at commercial shipping” in the Strait of Hormuz. He claimed about 15 million barrels of oil moved through the strait the night before “because of the United States,” warning of a “catastrophic global energy crisis” without that effort, and said prices are worse elsewhere. He called the U.S.-Venezuela oil arrangement a “win-win,” accused the prior administration of draining the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for politics, and said Washington is creating a new 65-billion-barrel oil reserve — figures he put on the record without releasing a separate White House fact sheet during the briefing.

On an alleged U.S. strike that Iranian officials say killed civilians at a wedding celebration, Vance said the United States is investigating. “I will say that Iranian state media has not been a very good scribe about what’s happened in the conflict thus far,” he said. “I’m extremely sceptical of this.” He added that the U.S. “never” targets civilians: “We never will do that, we never have done that,” while conceding mistakes can happen and that the military investigates them.

Asked about volatile bond markets, Vance said the Federal Reserve should cut rates — “proper and responsible” — and deferred market mechanics to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. On Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s resignation, he steered into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “warrior spirit” pitch and said the force is in a “much better place” than 18 months ago while arguing “the rot got so deep” that work remains. Pressed on 2028 and whether he would back Hegseth or Sen. Ted Cruz, he dodged: he is focused on the midterms, called Hegseth “a great guy,” said Cruz is “authentic and likeable,” and added, “I could see myself supporting a whole host of people.”

On China and pressure on Iran, Vance said Beijing is “willing to play ball here,” contrasting China with a government that “shoots at commercial shipping,” and listed partners including Turkey, Azerbaijan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar as helping impose costs. The briefing closed without a named permanent press secretary — just a vice president owning the podium on war labels, pump prices, and midterms.

Sources