Trump calls it a war, then a ‘military conflict.’
asserted
Trump → call → it
Why the Iran fighting keeps changing names
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- Over seven months of conflict with Iran, Trump administration officials try to avoid calling the hostilities a ‘war.’
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officials → keep → hostilities
- Like previous administrations, both Democratic and Republican, the White House aims to avoid having Congress invoke the War Powers Resolution.
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Congress → aim → Resolution
Only Congress can declare war, so presidents have avoided the word to avoid securing congressional approval for military actions.
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presidents → declare → actions
Late September in the Oval Office, President Trump declared, “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.
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Iran → declare → weapon
We’re gonna win that war very soon.
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We → go → war
It wasn’t the first time he’s described the hostilities as “war.”
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he → describe → war
On Feb. 28, the day U.S. and Israeli began bombarding Iran, he warned that “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties.
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we → begin → casualties
That often happens in war, but we’re doing this not for now.
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we → happen → this
We’re doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission.”
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it → do → future
But throughout seven months of back-and-forth strikes with Iran, Trump administration officials, and sometimes Trump himself, have performed verbal acrobatics to avoid the “W” word.
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officials → perform → word
Senior administration officials loosely tossed around “war” during the first stages of conflict, but with polls showing the war in unpopular and congressional support waning, “war” and even “Operation Epic Fury” have become taboo among members of the Trump administration.
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war → toss → administration
Trump has called attacks on Iran a “military operation,” “military decimation,” “excursion” and “skirmish.”
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Trump → call → Iran
At a White House press briefing last month, Vice President JD Vance attempted to clear the air when a reporter asked about a potential end to what she called a “war in Iran.”
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she → attempt → Iran
“I wouldn’t call it a war right now,” Vance said.
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Vance → call → it
“Major combat operations lasted for about six weeks.”
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operations → last → weeks
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tread carefully in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee in July, repeatedly referring to a “conflict” in Iran that needed additional funding to continue.
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that → tread → funding
On May 5, during the first of two delicate ceasefires with Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced an end to the objectives laid out in Operation Epic Fury and the beginning of “Project Freedom” — an effort to escort merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
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Rubio → announce → Hormuz
In April, Trump announced the blockade of Iranian ports.
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Trump → announce → ports
When asked about whether the blockade constituted an act of war, Rubio replied, “That’s not an act of war, that’s a defensive measure.
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that → ask → war
It’s a counter to what they have decided to do.”
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they → ’ → what
Senior Trump officials have maintained that the conflict can no longer be viewed as war because the intensity of strikes between the two countries has been reduced.
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intensity → maintain → countries
The “end” of Operation Epic Fury, the name Trump used when he announced hostilities on Feb. 28, was declared on May 5 — 60 days after the fighting began.
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fighting → use → May
Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, a president must cease all hostilities abroad after 60 days if there is no congressional declaration of war.
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president → cease → war
Under the Constitution, only Congress declares war, but past presidents have routinely circumvented this rule by exercising their authority to direct the military and initiate strikes on targeted nations.
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presidents → declare → nations
Nearly every modern president, from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Trump, has used this justification to undertake military action without the declaratory approval of Congress.
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president → use → Congress
Congress can also choose to approve an Authorization for Use of Military Force, which grants the president legal authority to conduct military operations overseas.
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which → choose → operations
Unless Congress sets a time limit on the authorization, authority to use the legal justification to launch military strikes can theoretically span multiple administrations.
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authority → set → administrations
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a former constitutional law professor at American University, said that presidents of both parties have avoided the term “war” when attempting to evade congressional approval of hostile action abroad.
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presidents → say → action
“Trump has followed some of his predecessors in playing word games with the war power,” Raskin said.
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Raskin → follow → power
“What makes his case so extreme is that he proudly described it as a war and depicted it in glorified military terms.”
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he → make → terms
In March, seven days into the fighting, Trump said, “The war itself is going unbelievably.
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war → say → fighting
It’s as good as it can be.”
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it → ’ → ?
Congress has not officially declared war since World War II.
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Congress → declare → II
The Vietnam War, the invasion of Afghanistan and both wars in Iraq were all approved by Congress under the umbrella of an Authorization for the Use of Military Force.
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War → approve → Force
This year Congress has not approved such an authorization for the action with Iran.
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Congress → approve → Iran
Fourteen Senate votes for a War Powers Resolution to curb Trump’s war efforts have failed in the chamber so far.
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votes → curb → chamber
According to a CNN/SSRS poll last month, only 26% of Americans approve of the Trump administration’s handling of the Iran war.
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% → accord → war
Raskin said that he believes Trump’s terminology has shifted with the public mood, adding that he hasn’t heard any of his Republican colleagues “play along with the semantic games.”
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any → say → games
“When things have turned south in the fortunes of this war, he has tried to pretend it’s something else,” Raskin said.
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Raskin → turn → war
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
