Vice President JD Vance addressed the ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States during a press conference at the White House on September 3, stating he would not classify the situation as a "war." He noted that there had been no direct exchange of fire and that maritime traffic through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz was "almost" returning to normal. Vance also expressed doubt about the accuracy of Iranian state media reports on the conflict and confirmed that the U.S. was conducting a thorough investigation into a recent strike that killed four people at a wedding in Iran. Iran had vowed to retaliate against the attack, but Vance avoided commenting on a possible end date for the hostilities, even though former President Donald Trump had previously suggested the conflict might last only a few weeks. The U.S. government has stressed the restoration of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global oil trade. Vance stated that the United States has "great control" over the strait, with 30 to 40 ships passing through each night. In a separate interview with the British conservative channel GB News, Trump claimed that the U.S. was managing the flow of oil and gas through the strait. He shared a graph on his social media platform, Truth Social, showing daily oil transit near 18 million barrels, close to the 20 million barrels per day recorded before the conflict. The U.S. Energy Department had previously reported 17 million barrels of oil passing through the strait daily. According to an analysis by AFP using data from the maritime tracking platform Kpler, the average number of ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz dropped significantly after Iran began blocking the strait on March 1, falling to 10 per day compared to 95 in February. A temporary increase to 36 transits per day followed the signing of an agreement between the U.S. and Iran in mid-June aimed at facilitating peace talks. However, this number dropped again to 15 between the resumption of hostilities on July 8 and August 22. Since July 8, two-thirds of the transits have been categorized as "ghost" or unknown, with exact itineraries unconfirmed due to limited data, including disabled transponders, jammed signals, and missing satellite images. The fluctuating levels of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz highlight the ongoing impact of the conflict on global trade routes. The strait is a vital artery for international oil and gas shipments, with disruptions affecting global energy markets. While the U.S. maintains a strong presence in the region, the uncertainty surrounding the movement of vessels underscores the complexity of the situation and the challenges in fully restoring normal operations.