Trump Describes Iran Conflict as 'Small Potatoes,' Defends Vance's Comments

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday stated that the conflict in Iran is 'small potatoes' while defending Vice President JD Vance's assertion that the ongoing attacks in the Middle East do not constitute a 'war.' During an exchange in the Oval Office regarding Vance's comments from the previous day, Trump noted that U.S. strikes on Iran are now 'intermittent' and that many people do not refer to it as a war. The conflict has resulted in over $37.5 billion in costs to U.S. taxpayers and the deaths of 18 U.S. service members. 'I can understand what he’s saying,' Trump remarked, adding, 'I call it a military conflict because it’s small potatoes for us. It’s not a big thing.' Vance, speaking at a White House press briefing on Thursday, dismissed the term 'war' in relation to U.S. actions against Iran and did not speculate on whether the conflict would conclude before the upcoming midterm elections on November 3. 'I wouldn’t call it a war,' Vance stated, noting, 'Right now, there is no active shooting.' This assertion came as Iran reportedly fired at U.S. ally Kuwait in retaliation for U.S. strikes on Iran earlier in the week. Trump further commented that the U.S. death toll in the Iran conflict is relatively low compared to other recent U.S. wars. He mentioned that the U.S. and Israel have only conducted air strikes in the Iran conflict, which began on February 28, without deploying troops into the country. 'We did Venezuela and we did this. In Venezuela, we lost nobody,' Trump said, referencing a January military operation regarding former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. 'And this, we lost 18 people. And, in Vietnam we lost 100,000 people. And in other conflicts, we lost tens of thousands of people.' Trump reiterated his belief that the conflict has effectively hindered Iran's nuclear program, stating, 'Iran will not have a nuclear weapon because if they did you probably wouldn’t be standing here.'