WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance says he wouldn’t call the U.S. conflict with Iran a “war,” despite recent escalations. On Thursday, Iran fired at U.S. ally Kuwait in retaliation for U.S. strikes. But Vance on Thursday emphasized the U.S. responsibility to act against Iran’s targeting of commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and said he “wouldn’t call” the conflict “a war.” The conflict has impacted oil prices, which remain high. The U.S. Navy is reporting great success escorting oil-carrying vessels through the strait, but traffic is well below prewar levels. President Donald Trump’s focus is increasingly on economic pressure, aiming to maintain control without returning to the full-throttle bombardment of Iran.