Trump says Iran conflict, which has killed 18 US service members and injured hundreds more, is ‘small potatoes’

By Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump on Friday labeled the Iran war “small potatoes,” the latest attempt to minimize a six-month conflict that caused a spike in gas prices and led to the deaths of 18 American service-members.

“A lot of people don’t call it a war. I call it a military conflict because it’s small potatoes for us. It’s not a big thing,” he said in the Oval Office.

A day earlier, Vice President JD Vance said the conflict shouldn’t be termed a “war” since major combat operations ended months ago.

Trump similarly cast the conflict as periodic and low-grade, despite routine rounds of back-and-forth strikes.

“I would say that it’s intermittent. You know, we do intermittent strikes,” Trump said, adding: “There’s a lot of truth that we’re not fighting right now. There’s no fighting.”

This week the US said it had targeted nearly 60 military targets around the Strait of Hormuz — including air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites — while simultaneously escorting ships through the waterway.

The administration had signaled it was moving past a military strategy, focusing instead on choking off Iran financially by applying sanctions on its trading partners. So far, however, the US has stopped short of punishing China, Tehran’s biggest economic lifeline.

Trump, who plans to host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state visit this month, downplayed the assistance Beijing was providing.

“They are not really involved. Very little involvement by China. China could have plenty of involvement,” he said.

He also extolled potential new routes and pipelines that could bypass the Strait of Hormuz, including an overland alternative through Syria.

“They’re going to end up with a horrible strait that’s not really necessary any more,” he said.

Trump also raised the prospect of a new operation soon to take out a suspected Iranian nuclear site south of Tehran.

“We may hit Pickaxe very soon,” he said, referring to the underground facility where Iran is believed to have moved some of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

But he still insisted the conflict was not a war.

“It’s a military conflict, but it’s very intermittent. I could see somebody not calling it a war,” he said.

He continued: “I don’t think it matters what you call it. What matters is the fact that we have had tremendous success.”

This story has been updated with additional details.

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