US Vice President JD Vance has rejected describing the escalating confrontation with Iran as a war, while admitting he cannot say when the fighting will end, underscoring the challenge the Trump administration faces as the hostilities enter their seventh month and midterm elections loom.
The conflict has dragged down President Donald Trump's approval ratings and driven up gas prices, raising the stakes for Republican candidates fighting to preserve their party's narrow congressional majorities in November. In a briefing at the White House, Vance touted US efforts to facilitate oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranians have disrupted maritime traffic since the war started.
He pushed back on describing the conflict as a "war," saying the US has ended major combat operations with Iran, despite renewed fighting this week. He said Washington's focus now was to ensure Tehran cannot keep disrupting commercial oil shipping.
The US maintains more than 50,000 troops in the Middle East. The Trump administration has surged assets into the region, including nearly 20 warships focused on a blockade.
On Tuesday, the United States launched air strikes on Iran, hitting what it said were military targets along the coast in retaliation for Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.