Vice President JD Vance Comments on Iran Conflict

In the first White House press briefing since Karoline Leavitt left as press secretary, Vice President JD Vance stated on Thursday that he would not classify the military conflict with Iran as a "war" at this time, while acknowledging that he could not predict when it would conclude. Vance's remarks were made during a briefing, marking the first such event held by any administration official in several weeks. When asked if he believed the conflict initiated by President Trump and Israeli officials in February would be resolved by the midterm elections, Vance responded, "I wouldn’t call it a war right now," noting that there was "no active shooting" and describing recent strikes as occasional flare-ups. His comments followed a recent exchange of fire, with Iran accusing the U.S. of causing civilian casualties during a wedding, while also launching attacks on U.S. military assets in the region. Vance expressed skepticism regarding reports from Iranian state media about the wedding incident, stating, "The Iranian state media has not been a very good scribe about what’s happened in the conflict thus far." He emphasized that the U.S. does not intentionally target civilians and that there is no conclusive information regarding the incident. Vance also addressed the criticism of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amid reports of leadership concerns within the Pentagon. He expressed support for Hegseth while acknowledging the contributions of the recently departed Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll. In response to a question about the widow of an airman killed in combat with Iran, Vance expressed sympathy for her situation and reiterated the administration's commitment to providing necessary support. He also mentioned his upcoming attendance at the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, reflecting on the unity felt in the U.S. following the events. Vance concluded with a sarcastic remark about looking forward to interacting with President Biden at the event.