WASHINGTON, September 3. /TASS/. The US administration has no intention of resuming negotiations with Iran until the attacks on merchant ships attributed to Tehran cease, Vice President JD Vance told reporters at the White House.

"President [Donald Trump] has been very clear. We are not talking to them. And we're not going to talk to them unless they stop shooting at commercial shipping," he said.

The vice president added that "major combat operations are currently not ongoing [against Iran], and they haven't been ongoing in a very long time." "What we did just a couple of days ago is that we made it harder for the Iranians to shoot at commercial shipping <…> in order to ensure the flow of oil and gas into world energy markets," he added.

Earlier, the US Central Command reported carrying out a series of strikes on targets in Iran. According to Press TV, explosions rocked the country’s southern coast, including on Qeshm Island and in several cities. In turn, the Fars news agency reported, citing a Red Crescent spokesperson, that at least 68 people were injured and five were killed as a result of a US strike on a wedding ceremony in the Iranian city of Sirik.

The US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran, with Islamabad acting as mediator, signed a memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon. However, in the early morning hours of July 8, the US resumed large-scale strikes against Iran, accusing it of violating the terms of the agreements reached on the Strait of Hormuz.