US Vice President JD Vance has refused to describe the ongoing US-Iran hostilities as a war, telling a White House briefing there is "no active shooting" — even as Iran launched fresh strikes on American military bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates and the conflict entered its sixth month.
Vance's remarks came as the Trump administration faces mounting political pressure over the protracted standoff, with the president's approval ratings near record lows and fuel prices threatening Republican prospects ahead of the November midterm elections.
Vance Pushes Back on 'War' Label Despite Ongoing Clashes
"I wouldn't call it a war. Right now, there is no active shooting," Vance said when pressed at the briefing on whether the conflict would be resolved before Americans head to the polls.
He acknowledged that hostilities had flared in various locations but argued that the most intense phase — which he described as lasting six weeks following the initial US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February — was effectively over.
"I recognise there have been places where this has flared up," Vance said, adding that he could not give a precise timeline for when tensions would fully subside. "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."
Despite that admission, Vance insisted Washington would not return to the negotiating table with Tehran until Iran ceased its attacks on commercial shipping in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
Iran Strikes US Bases, Cites Wedding Attack as Justification
Iran pressed ahead with new military action on Thursday, saying it targeted US military installations in both Kuwait and the UAE in retaliation for what it described as a deadly American strike on a wedding in the Iranian coastal town of Kuhestak. The Iranian Red Crescent reported that the missile strike on the wedding killed four people, including a child, and left more than 50 others wounded.
Vance said the United States was investigating the incident but expressed deep scepticism about Tehran's account. "I know that we're investigating," he said. "I will say that the Iranian state media has not been a very good scribe about what's happened in the conflict thus far. So I'm extremely sceptical of this."
The fresh clashes come after several weeks of relative calm were shattered by new US raids on Sunday, further complicating efforts to wind down a conflict that has now claimed the lives of 18 US troops and thousands of people in Iran and Lebanon.
Trump Weighs Declaring 'Mission Accomplished' as Oil Flows Recover
Behind the scenes, President Donald Trump is reportedly discussing with senior aides whether to formally declare the Iran conflict over — a move that would carry obvious political benefits ahead of the midterms. Trump last week posted an image of a banner reading "Mission Accomplished", a phrase that carries heavy historical baggage in the context of American military engagements abroad.
The administration has also begun promoting the message that oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz are recovering toward pre-conflict levels — a key metric for petrol prices at home. Vance framed this as a strategic success. "Their control over the Strait of Hormuz is effectively gone," he said of Iran.
"If you go back three months ago, how much oil and gas was coming out of the strait under Iranian threats? It was virtually nothing. Now, it's almost back to where it was before the conflict even started."
Whether that framing is enough to satisfy an American public weary of foreign entanglements remains to be seen. For full background on the evolving ceasefire dynamics and the Strait of Hormuz standoff, the situation continues to shift rapidly — and Vance's carefully chosen words suggest the White House is still searching for the right narrative to close out a conflict that shows no clear end in sight.
