‘Small potatoes’: US President Trump downplays war on Iran

The president’s remarks could signal a new strategy towards the conflict, focused on minimising its impact.US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on September 4, 2026 [Kent Nishimura/AFP]Published On 4 Sep 2026As the United States and Israel’s Iran" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="169305" data-entity-type="event">war on Iran enters its seventh month with no clear end in sight, President Donald Trump has become the latest US official to downplay the conflict.On Friday, Trump said the conflict, which has resulted in the deaths of 18 US service members and a spike in global energy prices, is “small potatoes”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3How much oil is going through Hormuz? Why data doesn’t match US claimslist 2 of 3Iran war: Why US midterms could be a pivotal momentlist 3 of 3‘Things happen’: How Vance’s comment on Iran wedding strike fits US patternend of list“It’s not a big thing,” Trump said, comparing strikes on Iran with other US military campaigns, including the January 3 operation to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.“We did Venezuela, and we did this. In Venezuela, we lost nobody. In this, we lost 18 people.”His remarks came at an Oval Office signing event, where reporters asked him to weigh in on remarks from Vice President JD Vance.A day earlier, at a White House news briefing, Vance appeared to suggest the conflict had cooled, despite a recent exchange of intense fire between US and Iranian forces.“I wouldn’t call it a war. Right now, there is no active shooting,” Vance said, arguing that major combat operations only lasted six weeks. He then added, “I recognise there have been places where this has flared up.”Trump on Friday told reporters there was “a lot of truth” to what Vance said. He opted to brand the fighting as a “military conflict”.“We do intermittent strikes,” Trump said, adding: “We’re not fighting right now. There’s no fighting. We’re taking out a lot of oil. We control the Hormuz Strait. We control it very strongly.”Since the war began on February 28, Trump has used various phrases to avoid calling the conflict a war.In the past, he has called the fighting with Iran a “little skirmish”, a “little detour” and a “little excursion, a couple of weeks, few weeks of excursion”.“It’s an excursion that will keep us out of a war,” Trump said in March.Experts say such terminology is likely strategic. The Trump administration has faced pushback for not seeking congressional approval before launching its strikes on Iran.The US Constitution grants Congress the exclusive power to declare war, though successive presidencies have taken unilateral military actions without the legislature’s approval. Legal scholars have repeatedly questioned the legality of those manoeuvres.In June, both chambers of Congress passed a war powers resolution, calling on Trump to either stop his military campaign against Iran or seek congressional authorisation for it.The resolution was largely symbolic, though it did signal growing bipartisan opposition to Trump’s Iran" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="169305" data-entity-type="event">war on Iran.As the conflict enters its seventh month, it remains widely unpopular in the US.A poll released on Monday by the Reuters news agency and the research firm Ipsos found that nearly six in 10 US adults disapproved of the military strikes on Iran.As the midterm elections approach in November, and peace talks remain deadlocked, the president’s remarks appear designed to minimise the conflict’s impact across the world.The war has led to attacks across the Middle East, and fuel prices remain high. In the US, the American Automobile Association (AAA) says the average fuel price is $4.15 per gallon (3.8 litres), up nearly a dollar from last year.The Trump administration, however, has long argued the war and its effects would be short-term.It has also signalled that it intends to double down on its economic pressure campaign against Iran, which has long faced US sanctions.In August, Trump pledged on Truth Social to pursue the “MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY”.This week, his administration announced new sanctions aimed at cutting off the country’s access to the international financial system.On Friday, Trump also did not rule out further attacks, suggesting the US may “very soon” strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, a military site near the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. Natanz was bombed in June 2025 and again during the current war.A recent exchange of strikes this month resulted in Iran firing on US military bases across the Middle East. The US, meanwhile, was accused by the Iranian government of bombing a wedding celebration in the coastal city of Sirik, killing at least four people.While the future of the conflict is uncertain, Trump said he was pleased with its progress.“I don’t think it matters what you call it,” Trump said. “What matters is you’ve had tremendous success.”