United States President, Donald Trump, has dismissed the six-month conflict with Iran as inconsequential for the United States, deepening a pattern within his administration of downplaying a confrontation that has killed 18 American service members and driven up petrol prices.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump rejected the “war” label outright.

“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.

His comments came a day after Vice President JD Vance argued that major combat operations had ended months earlier and that the term “war” no longer applied.

Trump described the fighting as sporadic rather than sustained, even as strikes between the two sides have continued on a rolling basis.

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

The remarks come despite a US operation this week that hit nearly 60 military targets around the Strait of Hormuz, among them air defence sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications infrastructure, carried out alongside efforts to escort ships through the waterway.

Washington had earlier signalled a pivot away from direct military action toward economic pressure, using sanctions to squeeze Iran’s trading partners. China, however, remains untouched by those measures despite being Tehran’s largest economic backer.

With a state visit from Chinese President Xi Jinping planned for later this month, Trump played down Beijing’s role in sustaining Iran.

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

He also pointed to alternative trade routes that could reduce reliance on the Strait of Hormuz altogether, including a proposed overland pipeline through Syria.

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

On the military front, Trump signalled a possible fresh strike on a suspected Iranian nuclear facility south of Tehran, where enriched uranium stockpiles are believed to have been relocated.

“We may hit Pickaxe very soon,” he said.

Pressed again on terminology, Trump maintained his position.

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

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

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