US President Donald Trump has described the seven-month conflict with Iran as “small potatoes” and said the United States is “not fighting right now”, despite an exchange of fire this month and the deaths of 18 US service members.
Speaking at an Oval Office signing event on Friday, Trump called the fighting a “military conflict”, said the US was carrying out intermittent strikes and claimed it controlled the Strait of Hormuz. He also did not rule out a possible strike “very soon” on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain military site near the Natanz uranium enrichment facility.
Why Trump is avoiding the word “war”
Trump said there was “a lot of truth” in Vance’s description of the conflict but chose to call it a military conflict rather than a war. He has previously referred to the fighting as a “little skirmish”, a “little detour” and a short “excursion”.
The administration has faced criticism for launching strikes without seeking approval from Congress. The US Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, although presidents have repeatedly taken military action without a formal declaration. Legal scholars have questioned the legality of those actions. For additional context, see “JD Vance declines to predict when Iran conflict will end”.
Key points
- Vice President JD Vance said major combat operations lasted six weeks but acknowledged that fighting had flared up in some places.
- Both chambers of Congress passed a war powers resolution in June calling on Trump to stop the campaign or seek congressional authorisation.
- A Reuters-Ipsos poll found that nearly six in 10 US adults disapproved of the strikes on Iran.
Conflict continues to affect the region and US households
The war began on February 28 and has produced attacks across the Middle East. Peace talks remain deadlocked, while fuel prices in the United States remain elevated. The American Automobile Association puts the average price at $4.15 per gallon, nearly $1 higher than a year earlier.
This month, Iran fired on US military bases across the Middle East. The Iranian government also accused the United States of bombing a wedding celebration in the coastal city of Sirik, killing at least four people. The US has carried out strikes on Pickaxe Mountain before, including during the current conflict and in June 2025. A related part of this story is covered in “What is really moving through the Strait of Hormuz?”.
Economic pressure remains part of the strategy
The Trump administration has argued that the war and its effects would be short-term, while signalling a broader economic campaign against Iran. In August, Trump pledged what he called the “MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY”.
This week, the administration announced new sanctions intended to cut Iran’s access to the international financial system. Trump said he was pleased with the conflict’s progress and argued that its results mattered more than what it was called. The development of this issue can be followed in “Why the Strait of Hormuz crisis is reshaping global shipping”.
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