Vice President JD Vance could provide neither a timeline for the Iran war to end nor a date when gas prices might sink below pre-war levels during a White House appearance Thursday, suggesting instead it was up to Iran to conclude the conflict that began with joint US-Israeli airstrikes six months ago.
The current hostilities shouldn’t even be called a “war,” Vance argued, since “active combat operations” ended months ago.
“Right now, there is no active shooting,” Vance insisted, despite three consecutive days this week when the US and Iran exchanged fire, including around the Strait of Hormuz.
The description of the Middle East situation as an occasional, low-grade battle was a sign the administration is trying to place the war in the rear-view mirror two months ahead of critical midterm elections, even as the US military continues actively targeting Iranian positions. Updated casualty figures from the Pentagon on Thursday showed 790 US service members have been wounded and 18 killed since the conflict began in late February.
On Tuesday, the US conducted a multi-faceted operation, hitting nearly 60 military targets around the strait — including air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites — while simultaneously escorting ships through the waterway.
