"The Democrats call it a war, we call it a military operation." Trump on the conflict with Iran

American leader Donald Trump called the conflict in the Middle East involving the United States, Israel and Iran a “military operation.” “Democrats call it a war, we call it a military operation,” he said at a crime-fighting roundtable in Memphis.

The White House has from the outset avoided using the word "war" to describe the current conflict with Iran, calling it "Operation Epic Fury." At the same time, Trump at least once called what was happening a “war.”

Why the White House avoids calling the conflict with Iran the word “war” is unknown. Legislative restrictions are unlikely to be the reason: although the US Constitution requires Congress to authorize war, it has not done so in any conflict involving Americans since World War II. Since the outbreak of hostilities against Iran, Democrats have twice tried to limit Trump's war powers in the Senate, but their attempts failed .

• In 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities called it a “special military operation” (SVO) and banned the use of the word “war.” For its use, the media was blocked , administrative and criminal cases were opened.
• The Prosecutor General's Office explained that the Russian invasion of Ukraine cannot be called a war, since the use of the term “war” implies “ the onset of legal consequences.” At the same time, Vladimir Putin and his officials have long been using the word “war” along with “SVO.”