Through much of the course of the U.S.’s war in Iran, the Trump administration has tried to avoid calling the conflict “a war.” Those efforts led to an odd moment in the White House briefing room Thursday when Vice President JD Vance seemingly tripped over his own efforts to downplay the hostilities. 

“I wouldn’t call it a war. Right now, there is no active shooting,” Vance said in response to a question about whether the war would be over before the midterm elections in November. 

The comment from the vice president, who was filling the traditional press secretary’s role following the departure of Karoline Leavitt, was particularly striking since, within the very same briefing, Vance acknowledged Iran was “shooting at ships” seven different times prior to saying there was “no active shooting.”

“The fundamental reality is that the reason gas prices are so high right now is because the Iranians are shooting at commercial shipping. Even, by the way, when they signed an agreement that said, ‘We’re going to stop shooting at commercial shipping,’ they almost immediately went back to shooting at commercial shipping,” Vance said a little over twenty minutes before he claimed there was “no active shooting.” 

Vance sort of addressed the contradiction moments after making his declaration that this isn’t a shooting war.

“I recognize there is — there have been places where this has flared up,” Vance said.

And the vice president, who was at the briefing room podium for about an hour, returned to discussing Iran “shooting at ships” approximately thirty seconds after claiming there is “no active shooting.”

“When you ask, when will this end, you’re asking me a question, like, ‘When will the Iranians stop shooting at ships?’ I think the reality is, I don’t know the answer to that question,” he said, adding, “You would have to ask the Iranians.”

The White House did not immediately respond to questions from TPM about what they would call the situation in Iran, if it is not a war, or about the blatant contradiction in Vance’s remarks about “shooting.”

Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which is a vital waterway for oil shipments, have not been the only shooting in the region. U.S. ships have opened fire on other boats as they enforce a naval blockade on Iran. American and Iranian forces also struck each other’s military assets in the Middle East this week. 

On one level, the bizarre Orwellian spectacle of the Trump administration refusing to acknowledge a war that the world is watching play out doesn’t matter. Major media outlets, Wikipedia, and even MAGA members of Congress are all referring to the situation in Iran as a “war.” However, the distinction the White House has been straining to make has real legal consequences since the War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires the president to withdraw troops or receive congressional approval for a military conflict within 60 days of its start. The White House has used various rebrands, rhetorical flourishes, and temporary ceasefires to avoid that clock. Acknowledging the war also has clear political fallout since, with the populace weary of foreign conflicts and gas prices climbing, polls show it is extremely unpopular, even among voters who support Trump. 

For Vance, the issue hung over his attempt to fill in for the press secretary. As the vice president left the room after taking questions from selected reporters, other journalists shouted their queries at him. 

“If it isn’t a war, what is it?” one asked.

Vance did not answer.