How the AP decided to refer to the conflict between Israel and Iran as a war

The Associated Press is calling the current conflict between Israel and Iran a war, given the scope, intensity and duration of military activities on both sides.

Other news organizations also have decided to refer to the conflict as a war, while some are still sticking with words such as “conflict” or “fighting.”

Why does it matter?

When a conflict in the world spills into military action, it’s important to use the correct terms to describe it.

Sometimes a one-sided attack occurs without further action, or a conflict bubbles up and then ends quickly

Using “war” widely to describe these kinds of situations can diminish the word’s importance. Then, when actual war breaks out, people might not understand its significance.

What does the AP consider?

The Merriam-Webster definition of war is quite broad: “A state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations,” or “a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism.”

The fight between Israel and Iran meets those criteria, though neither has officially declared war.

Since Israel launched an air campaign targeting Iran’s military and nuclear program, there has been a significant escalation in the conflict. Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and drones into Israel. Israel has assassinated high-level Iranian officials; targeted the country’s infrastructure; called for hundreds of thousands of residents to evacuate Iran’s capital, Tehran; and said it will continue its offensive.

What are previous examples of conflicts where the AP issued guidance to use the word ‘war’?

The AP provided guidance on the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war in the days and weeks after fighting began.

In both cases, editors considered the number of casualties, the intensity of fighting, the involvement of each party, and what each country was calling the conflict.

In both cases, the AP started using the word “war” to describe the conflicts.

Why is it ‘war’ and not ‘War’?

AP capitalizes the word “war” only as part of a formal name, which as of now does not exist.

Could the guidance change?

Decisions on how AP uses the term “war” happen in real time. AP’s news leaders and standards editors will continue to monitor developments to see whether changes are necessary.

At this point, the level of fighting constitutes the countries being at war, no matter what happens next. If fighting were to end soon, AP would continue saying the countries had been at war. News leaders would consider whether the level of fighting at that time amounted to being at war.

If other countries intervene in the war, AP would describe the intervention as military action in support of Israel or military support of Iran. AP would also consider whether the action constitutes those countries also being at war.