On September 4, President Donald Trump called the ongoing US-Iran conflict — now stretching past six months — “small potatoes” for the United States. His point was blunt: “military conflict” fits better than war. He said the US is carrying out only “intermittent strikes,” not fighting Iran in nonstop combat. And he lined up with Vice President Vance’s earlier remark that the situation should not be labeled a war.
Trump said 18 US service members have been killed in the conflict, but he brushed aside the scale by comparing it with the Vietnam War, where tens of thousands of US troops died. Still, he added that “even one lost is too many.” He also said the US has produced “significant results” against Iran, with one core aim above all: stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons.
The conflict has driven energy prices higher and piled domestic political pressure onto the Trump administration. Public approval of Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict remains weak. And the Republican Party is running into trouble as it tries to hold its majority in the November midterm elections.