As the United States and Israelâs war on 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, Trump said the conflict, which has resulted in the deaths of 18 US service members and a spike in global energy prices, is âsmall potatoesâ.
âItâs not a big thing,â Trump said, comparing strikes on Iran with other US military campaigns, including the January 3 operation to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
âWe did Venezuela, and we did this. In Venezuela, we lost nobody. In this, we lost 18 people.â
His remarks came at an Oval Office signing event, where reporters asked him to weigh in on remarks from Vice President JD Vance.
A day earlier, at a White House news briefing, Vance appeared to suggest the conflict had cooled, despite a recent exchange of intense fire between US and Iranian forces.
âI wouldnât call it a war. Right now, there is no active shooting,â Vance said, arguing that major combat operations only lasted six weeks. He then added, âI recognise there have been places where this has flared up.â
Trump on Friday told reporters there was âa lot of truthâ to what Vance said. He opted to brand the fighting as a âmilitary conflictâ.
âWe do intermittent strikes,â Trump said, adding: âWeâre not fighting right now. Thereâs no fighting. Weâre taking out a lot of oil. We control the Hormuz Strait. We control it very strongly.â
Since the war began on February 28, Trump has used various phrases to avoid calling the conflict a war.
In the past, he has called the fighting with Iran a âlittle skirmishâ, a âlittle detourâ and a âlittle excursion, a couple of weeks, few weeks of excursionâ.
âItâs an excursion that will keep us out of a war,â Trump said in March.
Experts say such terminology is likely strategic. The Trump administration has faced pushback for not seeking congressional approval before launching its strikes on Iran.
The US Constitution grants Congress the exclusive power to declare war, though successive presidencies have taken unilateral military actions without the legislatureâs approval. Legal scholars have repeatedly questioned the legality of those manoeuvres.
In June, both chambers of Congress passed a war powers resolution, calling on Trump to either stop his military campaign against Iran or seek congressional authorisation for it.
The resolution was largely symbolic, though it did signal growing bipartisan opposition to Trumpâs war on Iran.
As the conflict enters its seventh month, it remains widely unpopular in the US.
A poll released on Monday by the Reuters news agency and the research firm Ipsos found that nearly six in 10 US adults disapproved of the military strikes on Iran.
As the midterm elections approach in November, and peace talks remain deadlocked, the presidentâs remarks appear designed to minimise the conflictâs impact across the world.
The war has led to attacks across the Middle East, and fuel prices remain high. In the US, the American Automobile Association (AAA) says the average fuel price is $4.15 per gallon (3.8 litres), up nearly a dollar from last year.
The Trump administration, however, has long argued the war and its effects would be short-term.
It has also signalled that it intends to double down on its economic pressure campaign against Iran, which has long faced US sanctions.
In August, Trump pledged on Truth Social to pursue the âMOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRYâ.
This week, his administration announced new sanctions aimed at cutting off the countryâs access to the international financial system.
On Friday, Trump also did not rule out further attacks, suggesting the US may âvery soonâ strike Iranâs Pickaxe Mountain, a military site near the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. Natanz was bombed in June 2025 and again during the current war.
A recent exchange of strikes this month resulted in Iran firing on US military bases across the Middle East. The US, meanwhile, was accused by the Iranian government of bombing a wedding celebration in the coastal city of Sirik, killing at least four people.
While the future of the conflict is uncertain, Trump said he was pleased with its progress.
âI donât think it matters what you call it,â Trump said. âWhat matters is youâve had tremendous success.â
