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March 20, 2025 – Vice President JD Vance on Thursday bluntly rejected the label “war” for the ongoing U.S. military engagement with Iran, even as American forces continue to trade fire with Iranian-backed proxies across the Middle East.
Speaking at a press conference in Washington, Vance said: “I would not categorize this as a war. It is a series of calibrated responses to Iranian aggression. We are not in a war with Iran; we are defending our interests and allies.”
His remarks come exactly six months after the first U.S. airstrikes targeted Iranian Revolutionary Guard positions in Syria, following a drone attack on a U.S. base that killed three American service members. Since then, the conflict has expanded to include naval skirmishes in the Persian Gulf, missile exchanges with Houthi rebels in Yemen, and cyberattacks on Iranian infrastructure.
Vance argued that the term “war” implies a formal declaration, a clear enemy state, and a defined end state. “None of those conditions exist here,” he said. “We are not seeking to topple the Iranian regime. We are not occupying Iranian territory. What we are doing is holding the regime accountable for its proxies’ actions.”
Critics, including several Democratic lawmakers and former Pentagon officials, have accused the administration of semantic gymnastics. “When you launch hundreds of airstrikes, deploy an additional 10,000 troops to the region, and suffer dozens of casualties, you are in a war,” said Representative Sarah Miller (D-CA) in a statement. “Calling it something else doesn’t make it less deadly.”
The conflict, which began in September 2024 after the attack on the Al-Tanf garrison, has resulted in over 120 U.S. military casualties, according to Department of Defense figures released this week. Iranian-backed groups have launched more than 80 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria, while the U.S. Navy has intercepted dozens of drones and missiles targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The economic impact is also mounting. Global oil prices have risen 18% since the conflict began, and shipping insurance premiums for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz have tripled. The administration has deployed additional naval assets to reassure allies, but the cost of operations has already exceeded $12 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
White House officials insist that the current approach is deliberate and limited. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a background briefing that the term “war” is misleading because “we are not engaged in a sustained, large-scale ground campaign against the Iranian state. Our actions are proportionate and focused on degrading the capabilities of the groups that attack us.”
The administration has also pointed to diplomatic efforts, including back-channel talks with Iran mediated by Qatar and Oman. Those talks, however, have stalled over the issue of Iran’s nuclear program and the status of the IRGC. A senior State Department official acknowledged that no progress has been made in the past two months.
Middle East scholar Dr. Fatima al-Rashid of the Brookings Institution said the debate over semantics misses the larger point. “Whether you call it a war or a conflict, the reality is that the United States is engaged in sustained military operations against a state adversary,” she said. “The legal and strategic implications are the same: the U.S. is in a state of armed conflict with Iran, even if it refuses to acknowledge it.”
Dr. al-Rashid noted that the U.S. has not formally invoked the War Powers Resolution for this operation, which has drawn criticism from members of Congress. “The administration is walking a fine line between asserting its constitutional authority to defend the nation and respecting Congress’s role in declaring war,” she added.
Polls conducted this month show that 52% of Americans believe the United States is already at war with Iran, while 38% agree with the administration’s characterization. The divide is sharply partisan: 71% of Republicans side with Vance, while 68% of Democrats call it a war.
The issue is expected to feature prominently in the 2026 midterm elections. Several Republican senators have already introduced a resolution supporting the administration’s position, while Democratic leaders are calling for a formal debate on the use of military force.
Military analysts predict that the current level of hostilities will continue for at least several more months, absent a major change in Iranian behavior or a diplomatic breakthrough. The Pentagon has reportedly prepared options for a more aggressive campaign, including strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, but has not yet presented them to the president.
Vance, for his part, signaled that the administration is not looking to escalate. “We want this to end,” he said. “But we also want to make sure that Iran understands that attacking American forces and our allies has consequences. And that is not a war; that is deterrence.”
As the conflict enters its seventh month, the debate over its name may be secondary to the human and financial toll it continues to exact. But for the administration, the word “war” carries political and legal weight that it is determined to avoid.
