By Humeyra Pamuk
WASHINGTON, Sept 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday said the fighting between the United States and Iran was not a war and declined to provide a timeline for when the conflict would be over, underscoring the challenge the Trump administration faces as the hostilities enter their seventh month and midterm elections loom.
His comments come as Washington and Tehran exchanged back-and-forth attacks this week after a period of relative calm, with no diplomatic talks
with the Iranians underway to end the conflict.
The war has dragged down President Donald Trump's approval ratings and driven up gas prices, raising the stakes for Republican candidates fighting to preserve their party's narrow congressional majorities in November.
In a briefing at the White House, Vance touted U.S. efforts to facilitate oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranians have disrupted maritime traffic since the war started, crediting Washington's actions with helping to avert a broader global energy crisis.
He pushed back on describing the conflict as a "war," saying the U.S. has ended major combat operations with Iran, despite renewed fighting this week. He said Washington's focus now was to ensure Tehran cannot keep disrupting commercial oil shipping.
"I wouldn't call it a war," Vance said. "Right now there's no active shooting. I recognize there's been places where this has flared up."
The U.S. maintains more than 50,000 troops in the Middle East. The Trump administration has surged assets into the region, including nearly 20 warships focused on a blockade. In some instances, troops have been deployed for longer than expected and have been pulled from Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
Asked repeatedly about the timeline on the war, Vance said an end would require a halt in Iranians shooting at commercial shipping.
"When will the Iranians stop shooting at ships? I think the reality is I don't know the answer to that question," he said.
He also ruled out any negotiations as long as Tehran continued to target commercial shipping.
While the most intense fighting has subsided, the recurring exchange of fire and the lack of a definitive end to the war have kept global oil prices elevated.
On Tuesday, the United States launched airstrikes on Iran, hitting what it said were military targets along the coast in retaliation for Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The sudden escalation of the war has caused a surge in oil prices to levels unseen since July.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Steve Holland; editing by Susan Heavey, Colleen Jenkins and Alistair Bell)
