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Trump downplays, threatens
President Donald Trump called the Iran war “small potatoes” and said he views it as a “military conflict,” while Vice President JD Vance had said Thursday that he “wouldn’t call it a war.”
“President Trump called the war with Iran "small potatoes"”
Trump also told reporters he is considering striking Pickaxe Mountain, saying, “We may hit Pickaxe very soon because if there was anything going on with Pickaxe,” and adding that “We hit them hard.”
CBS News reported that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains well below pre-war levels, with Lloyd's showing 102 ships transited the waterway last week compared with 126 the week before.
CNN said the Iran conflict has killed 18 US service members and injured hundreds more, and quoted Trump describing the fighting as “intermittent.”
Congress, families, and pressure
In Congress, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Brian Mast said “not necessarily” when asked about an AUMF, arguing the conflict had “moved out of Epic Fury” and into “economic outcast.”
ABC News reported that “So far, 18 U.S. service members have been killed during the Iran war,” and said Department of Defense data put total casualties at 808.
ABC News also described 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan, 25, being killed in an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack on July 17 at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, and quoted his mother, Shari Feehan, saying, “A big piece of our hearts left this earth when we got the confirmation that we had been fearing.”
Meanwhile, BBC reported that the US aim includes forcing Iran to negotiate and stopping attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, noting a June MoU “meant to result in a permanent ceasefire and a deal within 60 days has expired.”
Economic blockade and fallout
The BBC said the US moved into a new phase described as “a sweeping economic blockade against Iran and countries which trade with it,” after the key commercial shipping route was “effectively closed” since February.
“a sweeping economic blockade against Iran and countries which trade with it”
BBC also quoted expert Jason Campbell saying the administration appears “satisfied with maintaining the blockade and with allowing some periodic targeting against Iran's capability to upset the shipping lane in the strait.”
On the economic front, AP reported that diesel hit a record price of $5.85 a gallon on Friday, saying the six-month war with Iran disrupts the world’s flow of fuel and pushes up transportation costs for goods.
AP added that diesel prices were nearly 56% more expensive than before the US and Israel launched their war against Iran in late February, when the national average sat at about $3.76 per gallon, and said the price shock is felt across grocery, produce, meat, and other perishable foods.