Trump Calls Iran Conflict 'Small Potatoes' for US

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Sept. 4 that his country's military confrontation with Iran does not amount to a full-scale war but rather a limited conflict, while reiterating that Washington had fully prevented Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons over the past five months.

Speaking a day after Vice President JD Vance said he would not describe the confrontation as a war, Trump offered his own characterization when asked by journalists about how to label the hostilities.

"A lot of people don't call it a war. I call it a military conflict because it's small potatoes for us. It's not a big thing. We did Venezuela, and we did this," Trump told reporters.

He went on to compare the scale of US losses in the Iran conflict with those of previous American military engagements, noting that Washington's Venezuela operation resulted in no American casualties while 18 US service members have been killed in the conflict with Iran, compared with what he said were 100,000 American deaths during the Vietnam War.

When reporters pressed him further on the mounting toll and the extended deployment of US forces in the region, Trump argued that the timeline of the current conflict was far shorter than America's involvement in Vietnam.

"We stayed in Vietnam for several years, while now we've only been in this conflict for five months. Do you know what we've done in these five months? We destroyed Tehran's nuclear capability and prevented them from obtaining nuclear weapons, because if Iran had a nuclear bomb, you wouldn't even be able to stand here," Trump said.

He insisted Iran would not be able to acquire nuclear weapons under any circumstances, and warned that any continued activity at the Kolang Mountain site could prompt further US military action.

"We have prevented them, and if any activity continues at Kolang Mountain, we may very soon bomb that site too and destroy it," Trump said.

On trade relations, Trump indicated that Washington is not obligated to conduct business with any country that acts unfairly toward the United States, and that it could halt economic ties altogether with such countries in order to protect the interests of American farmers and producers.

Trump also pointed to what he described as major military accomplishments, saying the United States had taken control of Venezuela and had, in his words, effectively taken control of all of Iran.

"What we've accomplished is unprecedented and remarkable; we've taken control of Venezuela and have essentially taken control of all of Iran. For several days there was no gunfire until last night's strike we carried out, in which we managed to destroy and eliminate the entirety of Iran's radar systems," Trump said.

Separately, Trump said he was dispatching envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to Moscow and Kyiv this weekend with a proposal aimed at ending the four-year war in Ukraine.

"They're bringing with them a proposal to end the war," Trump said, adding: "I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it."

Trump would not say whether the proposal involves Ukraine ceding territory, as he has previously suggested, but said Washington has "an idea for peace." It will mark the first time Kushner and Witkoff have visited Kyiv since Trump returned to office vowing to end the war; both have previously traveled to Moscow. Trump attributed the war, which began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, to what he called a "personality problem" between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier that he had proposed observing a ceasefire while the US envoys conduct their talks in Moscow and Kyiv.

"There will be no airstrikes on our part, and Russia must reciprocally ensure a ceasefire, without its own airstrikes, for the duration needed to conduct these talks," Zelensky said in his evening address.

Trump also downplayed Germany's earlier assertion this week that Russia was behind an attempted drone attack on an airport.

"I speak to him. I know him very well. Putin's not looking to attack NATO territory," Trump said in the Oval Office.