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Trump says Iran conflict, which has killed 18 US service members and injured hundreds more, is ‘small potatoes’
CNN • • nation
Key Points:
- President Donald Trump referred to the six-month Iran conflict as "small potatoes" and a "military conflict," downplaying it despite the deaths of 18 American service members and increased gas prices.
- Vice President JD Vance echoed this sentiment, stating the conflict should not be called a "war" since major combat operations ended months ago.
- The US recently targeted nearly 60 Iranian military sites near the Strait of Hormuz while escorting ships, but is shifting focus toward financial sanctions on Iran's trading partners, though China has not been heavily sanctioned.
- Trump downplayed China's involvement with Iran and highlighted alternative routes and pipelines bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the strait could become less strategically important.
- He hinted at a possible upcoming strike on an Iranian nuclear site known as "Pickaxe" but maintained that the situation remains an intermittent military conflict rather than a full-scale war.
