US Vice President JD Vance has sought to distance the Trump administration from describing the ongoing confrontation with Iran as a war, even as fresh clashes and attacks continue six months after the conflict began.
Speaking at a White House briefing on Thursday, Vance said he would not characterize the situation as an active war because major fighting had largely subsided.
“I wouldn’t call it a war. Right now, there is no active shooting,” Vance said when asked whether the conflict would have ended before the US midterm elections in November.
His remarks come as President Donald Trump faces increasing pressure to bring the confrontation to an end. The conflict has contributed to disruptions around the strategically important Strait of Hormuz and rising fuel prices, creating potential political difficulties for Republicans ahead of the November elections.
Vance maintained that the United States had no plans to resume negotiations with Tehran while Iranian attacks on commercial shipping continued. He acknowledged that fighting had flared up in some areas but argued that the main US-Israeli combat operation had lasted roughly six weeks following the start of the conflict on February 28.
Iran, however, has continued to challenge the US position. After several weeks of relative calm, fresh clashes followed US raids on Sunday, while Tehran has maintained significant influence over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Vance claimed that Iran’s ability to restrict traffic through the waterway had effectively been eliminated, saying oil and gas shipments had recovered to levels close to those seen before the conflict.
The comments come as Trump’s political standing has weakened and his administration faces scrutiny over a conflict that contrasts with his previous promises to keep the United States out of new foreign wars.
According to reports, Trump has discussed with senior advisers whether the conflict should formally be declared over. He also recently shared an image bearing the words “Mission Accomplished.”
Meanwhile, Iran said Thursday that it had attacked US military facilities in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for a deadly strike on a wedding in Iran.
Vance confirmed that the United States was investigating the incident but expressed skepticism toward Iranian accounts of what happened.
The Iranian Red Crescent said the missile strike on a wedding in the coastal town of Kuhestak killed four people, including a child, and injured more than 50 others.
Despite Washington’s efforts to portray the conflict as largely concluded, the latest exchanges suggest that tensions with Tehran remain unresolved.
