As the US and Israel’s war against Iran enters its seventh month with no clear end in sight, President Donald Trump has become the latest US official to downplay the conflict.
On Friday, President Trump said the conflict, which has left 18 U.S. service members dead and global energy prices soaring, was “small potatoes.”
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President Trump compared the attack on Iran to other U.S. military operations, including the Jan. 3 abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, calling it “no big deal.”
“We did it in Venezuela and we did this too. We didn’t lose anyone in Venezuela. This time we lost 18 people.”
His remarks came at a signature event in the Oval Office, where reporters asked him to weigh in on Vice President J.D. Vance’s remarks.
A day earlier, Mr. Vance appeared to suggest at a White House press conference that the conflict was calming, despite recent heavy gunfire between U.S. and Iranian forces.
“I wouldn’t call this a war. There’s no active fire going on right now,” Vance said, insisting that major combat operations lasted only six weeks. He added: “We are aware that there have been places where this issue has flared up again.”
President Trump told reporters Friday that there was “a lot of truth” in Vance’s statements. He decided to call this battle a “military conflict.”
“We’re having intermittent strikes,” Trump said. “We’re not fighting right now. There’s no fighting. We’re extracting a lot of oil. We control the Strait of Hormuz. We control it very strongly.”
Since the war began on February 28, President Trump has used a variety of language to avoid calling the conflict a war.
In the past, he has called the war with Iran a “little skirmish,” a “little detour” and a “little excursion for a few weeks.”
“This is a field trip to keep us out of war,” Trump said in March.
Experts say the terminology is likely strategic. The Trump administration is facing backlash for not seeking Congressional approval before launching an attack on Iran.
The U.S. Constitution gives Congress exclusive authority to declare war, but presidents have taken unilateral military action without Congressional approval. Legal scholars have repeatedly questioned the legality of these operations.
In June, both the House and Senate passed the War Powers Resolution, requiring President Trump to halt military operations against Iran or seek Congressional approval.
Although the resolution was largely symbolic, it signaled growing bipartisan opposition to President Trump’s war on Iran.
Now in its seventh month, the conflict remains widely unpopular in the United States.
A poll released Monday by Reuters and Ipsos found that nearly six in 10 American adults do not support a military attack on Iran.
With midterm elections looming in November and peace talks remaining stalled, the president’s comments appear to be aimed at minimizing the conflict’s impact around the world.
Wars have led to attacks across the Middle East, and fuel prices remain high. The average fuel price in the United States is $4.15 per gallon (3.8 liters), up nearly $1 from last year, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
But the Trump administration has long maintained that the war and its effects are short-lived.
He also said he would redouble his economic pressure campaign on Iran, which has long faced U.S. sanctions.
In August, President Trump promised on Truth Social that he would pursue “the most devastating economic operation ever waged against any country.”
This week, his administration announced new sanctions aimed at cutting off the country’s access to the international financial system.
On Friday, President Trump did not rule out the possibility of further attacks, suggesting the United States could “soon” attack Iran’s Mount Pickaxe, a military facility near the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. Natanz was bombed again in June 2025 and during the current war.
A recent exchange of attacks this month resulted in Iran opening fire on U.S. military bases across the Middle East. Meanwhile, the United States was accused by the Iranian government of bombing a wedding celebration in the coastal city of Sirik, killing at least four people.
Although the future of the conflict is uncertain, President Trump said he was satisfied with the progress in the conflict.
“I don’t think it matters what you call it,” President Trump said. “What matters is that you have had great success.”
