Trump calls Iran war 'small potatoes,' says 'it’s not a big thing'

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump described the Iran war as “small potatoes” and “not a big thing" in his latest attempt to minimize the severity of the conflict.

“I call it a military conflict because it’s small potatoes for us," Trump told reporters in remarks from the Oval Office on Sept. 4. “It’s not a big thing.”

Trump argued that the fighting with Iran is intermittent and a flare-up.

The Trump administration has sought in recent days to downplay the intensity of the fighting in Iran even as the U.S. and Iran traded fire in recent days, in a conflict that has extended past the six-month mark.

Trump’s comments come a day after Vice President JD Vance rejected using the term “war” to describe a conflict that has resulted in the deaths of 18 American service members and nearly 800 injuries. 

“I wouldn’t call it a war,” Vance told reporters during a White House press briefing on Sept. 3. He said there had been “no active shooting.”

The U.S. struck Iranian military targets near the Strait of Hormuz on Sept. 1 for the second time in three days, the first exchange of fire in weeks. The airstrikes targeted Iranian mine-laying capabilities, radar systems, and maritime assets near the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Central Command. Iran retaliated by firing missiles at U.S. military sites in Jordan and Iraq.

Trump said there had been "no shooting for days" and that the U.S. has not seen additional activity.

"I would say it's a military conflict, if you want," Trump said on Sept. 4. "I don't think it matters what you call it. What matters is the fact that we have had tremendous success."