Trump says he doesn't call Iran conflict a "war" due to need for approval from Congress
President Trump suggested late Wednesday he's avoiding describing the military conflict with Iran as a "war" because of concerns around the fact that Congress hasn't authorized military force.
Updated on: March 25, 2026 / 11:59 PM EDT / CBS News
"I won't use the word 'war' because they say, if you use the word war, that's maybe not a good thing to do," the president said at an event for House Republicans' fundraising arm. "They don't like the word 'war,' because you're supposed to get approval, so I'll use the word 'military operation,' which is really what it is."
The president has avoided the term in the past, saying Tuesday that "people don't like me using the word 'war,' so I won't, but the Democrats call it a war." At one point earlier this month, he told reporters he viewed the conflict as "an excursion that will keep us out of a war." He has also frequently argued that the war in Iran is a short-term conflict that he expects to wrap up soon.
But Mr. Trump has still occasionally called it a war, including during Wednesday evening's speech, when he said: "The war essentially ended a few days after we went in."
Behind the semantic issue is a legal question about whether the president needed approval from Congress to launch military strikes against Iran last month.