Trump calls Iran conflict ‘small potatoes’, says he agrees with Vance that it’s not ‘war’

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday (September 4, 2026) stated the battle in Iran is “small potatoes” as he defended Vice President JD Vance for asserting that months of on-and-off assaults in West Asia usually are not a “warfare.”

Requested throughout an Oval Workplace change about Mr. Vance’s feedback made a day earlier, Mr. Trump famous that U.S. strikes on Iran at the moment are “intermittent” and appeared to downplay the depth of a warfare that is price U.S. taxpayers greater than $37.5 billion and left 18 U.S. service members lifeless.

“I can perceive what he is saying,” stated Mr. Trump. He added, “I name it a navy battle as a result of it is small potatoes for us. It is not an enormous factor.” Mr. Vance on Thursday (September 3), throughout a White Home press briefing, rejected the usage of the phrase “warfare” to explain the US combating with Iran and steered away from predicting that the 6-month-old battle could be over by November’s midterm elections, by which Republicans are attempting to hold on to their slim majorities in Congress.

“I would not name it a warfare,” Mr. Vance stated after being requested throughout a White Home press briefing about whether or not the combating might finish earlier than voters solid their ballots within the November 3 congressional elections. “Proper now, there isn’t a lively capturing.” Vance’s assertion got here at the same time as Iran fired at U.S. Gulf ally Kuwait on Thursday in retaliation for rounds of US strikes on Iran earlier within the week.

Mr. Trump, in Friday’s change with reporters, added that the US loss of life toll within the Iran battle is comparatively decrease than in another latest U.S. wars. The U.S., together with Israel, have solely carried out air strikes within the Iran warfare, which started on February 28, and has not deployed troops into the nation.

“We did Venezuela and we did this. In Venezuela, we misplaced no person,” stated Trump, referring to the January US navy operation to grab former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and spirit him to New York Metropolis to face federal drug trafficking prices.

“And this, we misplaced 18 individuals. And, in Vietnam we misplaced 100,000 individuals. And in different conflicts, we misplaced tens of hundreds of individuals.” A complete of 58,220 members of the US armed forces died throughout the Vietnam Battle, in response to data from the U.S. Nationwide Archives.

Pressed by a reporter on describing the battle as “small potatoes” when 18 U.S. service members have been killed, Trump responded by reiterating his argument that the battle—one which he stated on the outset of the warfare would final a matter of weeks—has led to the defanging of Iran’s nuclear program.

“Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon as a result of in the event that they did you most likely would not be standing right here,” Mr. Trump stated.