Trump calls Iran fight 'small potatoes' after 18 US deaths and 5 months of strikes

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Friday, September 4, described the prolonged US confrontation with Iran as “small potatoes,” even after acknowledging that 18 American service members have been killed.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said he preferred calling it a “military conflict,” arguing that American strikes have become intermittent and there is currently no fighting.

His comments came days after the United States resumed major attacks on Iranian military targets following a lull, with Tehran retaliating against American positions.

The campaign began with US-Israeli strikes on February 28 and has now crossed six months, spanning strikes and operations around a vital shipping route.

Trump says strikes are intermittent

Trump said American forces are conducting fewer attacks after hitting Iranian radar, aircraft, and other military equipment around the Strait of Hormuz. 

He said the US has “very strongly” controlled the waterway and claimed ships and oil are moving through it.

Central Command said the September 1 strikes hit Iranian air-defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities, and communications facilities.

More than 50,000 US service members are operating across the Middle East, according to CENTCOM.

Eighteen Americans have been killed

The president acknowledged the American death toll while comparing it with losses from Vietnam and Afghanistan.

"In Vietnam we lost tens of thousands of people. In Afghanistan we lost a lot. Sleepy Joe Biden lost 13 just by standing at an airport," Trump said.

Reports from Thursday said that 18 US military personnel had died and more than 750 had been wounded since the conflict began.

Trump said he had met families of those killed at Dover Air Force Base and called the service members “great souls.”

Vice President JD Vance has also said he would not call the confrontation a war.

Hormuz has become a battlefield

The Strait of Hormuz has become a central military and economic front.

Before the conflict, roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply moved through the waterway.

On August 30, US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island after officials said Revolutionary Guard forces were preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines. 

Trump has since said American minesweepers removed mines from the strait. Commercial traffic remains disrupted, while oil prices have climbed amid fears of further supply interruptions.

Trump says nuclear goal is achieved

Trump tied the campaign directly to Iran’s nuclear program, saying the United States had prevented Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

He also said American forces could strike Iran’s fortified Pickaxe Mountain site soon if Washington detects renewed activity there. 

Reports from Friday said that the site near Natanz contains deeply buried tunnel complexes and remains a potential target. 

Trump said the operation was necessary to prevent Iran from threatening Israel, Europe and eventually the United States.