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United States Vice President JD Vance rejects labelling the six-month conflict with Iran as a war, even despite clashes.
Vance made the comments on Thursday during a White House briefing, saying major combat operations lasted only six weeks after the conflict began on February 28.
“I wouldn’t call it a war. Right now, there is no active shooting,” Vance said when asked whether the conflict would end before the November US midterm elections.
Vance acknowledged that fighting had flared up in some areas but said he could not predict when Iran would stop attacking commercial ships.
“When you ask when will this end, you’re asking me a question like when will the Iranians stop shooting at ships? I think the reality is I don’t know the answer to that question. You would have to ask the Iranians,” he said.
His comments came during signs that President Donald Trump’s administration was seeking to draw a line under the conflict.
New clashes resumed on Sunday following several weeks of calm, while Iran continues to restrict shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Vance insisted that the United States would not resume talks with Iran until Tehran ends attacks on commercial shipping.
He also claimed that Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz had “effectively gone” and said oil and gas flows through the waterway were almost back to pre-conflict levels.
Trump’s approval ratings are near record lows, while the conflict has created pressure on his administration ahead of the November elections.
Eighteen US troops and thousands of people in Iran and Lebanon have died since the conflict began.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was discussing with senior aides whether to declare the conflict over.
Trump also posted a photograph last week of a banner reading “Mission Accomplished.”
Iran launched new attacks Thursday, saying it had targeted US military bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for a strike on a wedding.
Vance confirmed that the United States was investigating the reported wedding strike but questioned Iranian accounts of the incident.
“I know that we’re investigating,” Vance said, adding that Iranian state media had not been reliable in reporting the conflict.
“I’m extremely skeptical of this,” he said.
The Iranian Red Crescent said a missile attack on a wedding in the coastal town of Kuhestak killed four people late Tuesday, including a child, and injured more than 50 others.
