JD Vance: Iran Conflict Not ‘A War’

Vice President JD Vance said Thursday the U.S. was investigating a report that an airstrike hit a wedding in Iran. Vance said he was briefed on the reported incident and said “we’re investigating it very fully.” Iranian state media reported that four people were killed when a U.S. missile hit a home where dozens of people were gathered to celebrate a wedding. Vance said the U.S. never targets civilians in combat, but added that “sometimes things happen.” “We’re investigating it because obviously we care, we want to know,” Vance said. “When our military makes mistakes, they learn from them to try to get better from them.” U.S. Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins previously said the U.S. military was looking into the reports. Vance also told a White House press briefing that the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran was not a war, two days after the U.S. wrapped up its latest round of strikes. “I wouldn’t call it a war right now,” Vance said after a journalist used the term. “There is no active shooting.” “Major combat operations” lasted only about six weeks, during which much of Iran’s military capabilities were destroyed, he claimed. But he says Iran keeps firing at ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and that the U.S. must protect global shipping.