WATCH: Bessent won't say the U.S. is at 'war' despite continued fighting in Iran

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent repeatedly avoided saying the U.S. is at war with Iran during a House Ways and Means hearing Thursday. “The conflict has been halted,” Bessent said when Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., asked him whether the U.S. was currently at war. Despite a fragile ceasefire, fighting between the U.S. and Iran has not stopped. Both countries have continued trading fire. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed a resolution to halt U.S. military action against Iran. “If you would like for me to call the secretary of war, I can ask. I'm the secretary of the treasury,” Bessent said. “Are we at war or not?” Larson asked again, saying he was asking in relation to the rising costs of oil and gas. "Has it risen because of the war?” Bessent said those prices had gone up “because of the conflict.” Bessent appeared in a Senate Finance Committee hearing Wednesday, where he was questioned by Democrats about the fate of a legal settlement between Trump and the IRS that granted him immunity from future audits. Bessent refused to say whether that aspect was still operational, after the Justice Department announced this week it was dropping a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund” that would potentially aid Trump allies. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok:   / pbsnews   X:   / newshour   Instagram:   / newshour   Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour