Nadene Goldfoot
“I wouldn’t call it a war,” Vance said after being asked during a White House press briefing about whether the fighting could end before voters cast their ballots in the Nov. 3 congressional elections. “Right now, there is no active shooting.” (not a war during time out?)
Vance's assertion came even as Iran fired at U.S. Gulf ally Kuwait on Thursday as Iran continued to retaliate for rounds of U.S. strikes on them earlier in the week.
U.S. attacks 3 Iranian oil tankers after ballistic missiles
from Islamic Revolutionary Guard Cops attacked 2 US
Navy warships patrolling the region.
A conflict is called a war when regular or irregular military forces engage in sustained, open, and widespread armed hostile conflict, regardless of whether a formal legal declaration has been issued.
So is Vance correct? There is shooting taking place; Iran shooting at American ships and American ships shooting back !. Our ally, Kuwait is being hit by Iran because we are shooting at Iran. Hostilities and intermittent exchanges of fire in the Strait of Hormuz have been ongoing for more than six months, tracing back to the start of the conflict on February 28, 2026.
De Facto vs. Legal Definitions
- 1. One group of people: De facto reality: Most users on Quora (inquisitive people) agree that a country is effectively at war when military forces engage in combat, meaning formal declarations are often treated as political formalities.
- 2. Another group, Scale and intensity: Newsrooms and international observers look at the extent, intensity, destruction, and mortality of a conflict before moving past cautious terms like "clashes" or "strikes" to use the word war.
- 3. Modern international law: As explained by The Conversation, the term war is rarely defined formally in post-1945 international law because modern laws generally prohibit the use of armed force outside of narrow exceptions like self-defence or UN Security Council authorization.
Legal Declarations and Political Labeling
- Constitutional power: In nations like the United States, the constitution grants the legislative body the sole power to formally declare war, which has only occurred 11 times in U.S. history.
- Alternative authorizations: Governments often use broader legislative tools—such as authorizations for the use of military force—or executive powers during national emergencies rather than a full, traditional declaration.
- Political semantics: Opinions on Reddit show mixed opinions, with some arguing that statutory authorizations are functionally equivalent to declarations, while others contend that any sustained military action abroad is a war.
- Countries Impacted by Retaliatory Strikes
- United Arab Emirates (UAE): The strikes prompted Iran to retaliate against US targets in the region, including in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
- Bahrain: Targeted by Iranian missile and drone actions directed at regional U.S. and allied installations. [1, 2, 3]
- Jordan: Struck by ballistic missile fire, with multiple projectiles intercepted in regional defensive actions. [1, 2]
- Qatar: Affected by regional security spillovers and strikes involving shipping or energy infrastructure near the Gulf. [1, 2]
- Israel: Heavily involved through direct coordinated military actions with the U.S. under 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis operations, facing extensive reciprocal missile barrages. [1]
- Lebanon: Drawn into the broader conflict where Iran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel, prompting Israeli counterstrikes.
- Resource:
- https://abc7ny.com/story/vice-president-jd-vance-says-iran-fight-isnt-war-trump-tries-navigate-unpopular-conflict-election-nears/19789369/
- https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/05/us-iran-oil-tankers-navy-missile-attack.html
- AI
- PBS
- Quora
- regardless of the label politicians choose. [1, 2]
