The U.S. military said its attacks against Iran were in response to a threat to the Strait of Hormuz.
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Trump calls Iran a ‘relatively little war’ as US strikes target new Iranian mines
The President calls the Iran conflict a 'relatively little war,' just as US strikes reportedly target new types of Iranian naval mines. This sequence places the size of the war in the eye of the beholder and the receipts in the hands of the Pentagon. The rhetoric shrinks the stakes, but the targeting expands them. The ledger of war is written in tonnage and the cost of new ordnance. Born in the era of measured responses, survived by the promise of restraint, and preceded in death by the last 'little' war. In lieu of flowers, send a copy of the receipt to Congress.
“Trump says the Iran conflict is a 'relatively little war,' while US strikes are busy targeting new naval mines. That's the kind of talk you use when you're about to make the war bigger and smaller all at once. The war stays little—until the receipts come in.”
“The President is simply providing context for the scope of the conflict, and targeted strikes are a measured response. If anything, it’s a demonstration of restraint. Did I say it was little? Maybe I meant proportionate. The important thing is that the situation is under control, at least for now.”
The receipts
The hostilities have returned in Iran for the first time in more than a month, as a war that's dragged on for six months ramps up again, with no end in sight. CBS News' Weijia Jiang and Aaron MacLean have the latest.
President Trump says the U.S. will hit Iran hard after it targeted American bases, which Tehran said was in retaliation for U.S. attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.