Washington, Sept. 4 (SANA) U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Washington does not currently consider its six-month confrontation with Iran a war, citing the absence of active combat operations despite renewed tensions between the two sides.
“I wouldn’t describe it as a war right now. There are no active shooting operations,” Vance told a White House news conference Friday when asked whether the conflict would end before November’s midterm elections, according to the Associated Press.
Vance said hostilities had resumed in some areas but that major combat operations lasted about six weeks after the confrontation began on Feb. 28.
He said Washington would not resume negotiations with Tehran unless Iran halted attacks on commercial shipping.
Vance also said Iran’s “control of the Strait of Hormuz has effectively evaporated,” adding that oil and gas flows through the strategic waterway had returned to near pre-conflict levels.
Military tensions flared again on Sunday after about a month of relative calm, with the two sides exchanging strikes as diplomatic efforts remained stalled and Iran maintained restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump said Thursday he did not expect U.S. strikes on Iran to continue much longer, while saying Washington was prepared to launch another attack if necessary.
T.S /ABD
