US Vice President JD Vance downplayed the scale of the Iran conflict, saying he wouldn't describe it as “a war.” The conflict between the US and Iran has now entered its seventh month, and military attacks in the Middle East region have escalated in the past few days. “I wouldn't call it war,” Vance said Thursday during a White House press conference. “There is currently no ongoing firefight.” “I acknowledge that there have actually been upgrades in some places,” Vance said. “The large-scale combat operation continued for about six weeks.” While presiding over the press conference in place of former White House Press Secretary Levitt on Thursday, Vance also reiterated the government's views, saying Iran's “control over the Strait of Hormuz actually no longer exists, and the value of this asset is declining.” When asked when gasoline prices would fall back to about $3 per gallon, Vance declined to make predictions, but said that US actions to protect commercial shipping helped export about 15 million barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. Currently, the average retail price of gasoline in the US remains above $4 per gallon. Vance blamed the high oil prices entirely on Iran's attack on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz. He said, “The reality is that gasoline prices are currently so high. The root cause is that Iran is firing on commercial ships.”

US Vice President JD Vance downplayed the scale of the Iran conflict, saying he wouldn't describe it as “a war.” The conflict between the US and Iran has now entered its seventh month, and military attacks in the Middle East region have escalated in the past few days. “I wouldn't call it war,” Vance said Thursday during a White House press conference. “There is currently no ongoing firefight.” “I acknowledge that there have actually been upgrades in some places,” Vance said. “The large-scale combat operation continued for about six weeks.” While presiding over the press conference in place of former White House Press Secretary Levitt on Thursday, Vance also reiterated the government's views, saying Iran's “control over the Strait of Hormuz actually no longer exists, and the value of this asset is declining.” When asked when gasoline prices would fall back to about $3 per gallon, Vance declined to make predictions, but said that US actions to protect commercial shipping helped export about 15 million barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. Currently, the average retail price of gasoline in the US remains above $4 per gallon. Vance blamed the high oil prices entirely on Iran's attack on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz. He said, “The reality is that gasoline prices are currently so high. The root cause is that Iran is firing on commercial ships.”