Iran War Day 189: White House Downplays War in Press Conference, as U.S. Diesel Prices Hit Record High

The Iran War State of the Union: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said regime change in Iran was the “central mission.” Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images In a Thursday press conference, Vice President J.D. Vance sought to play down the seriousness of the ongoing war with Iran. “I wouldn’t call it a war,” he said in response to a question, adding that—despite multiple exchanges with Iran this week—the U.S. was no longer conducting “major combat operations.” The vice president also said he was unsure when the conflict would end, and expressed skepticism concerning reports the U.S. military had killed civilians in a Tuesday strike on a residential area (though he noted the claims were under review). U.S. Central Command has separately confirmed it is looking into the incident. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country continues to seek regime change in Iran. “I am confident in our ability to remove this threat once and for all—in other words, to topple this regime,” the Israeli leader stated in a Thursday meeting with the IDF’s general staff. “That is the central mission that still lies ahead of us, but it is close. It is not impossible. It is within reach.” Oil prices remained elevated, with U.S. diesel prices hitting a record high of $5.85 per gallon on Friday. (Because of diesel’s importance in freight and delivery, spikes in its price can have outsize effects on broader inflation.) Brent crude was trading at around $90 per barrel Friday morning, and the average price of gas in the U.S. is $4.15, according to AAA.