‘We are not in it to make 5% or 6%’: Warren Buffett calls the Iran war market dip ‘nothing.’ What he sees when others don’t

As Wall Street grapples with one of its worst downturns in years, Warren Buffett is shrugging it off — and buying stocks.

The war between the US and Israel in Iran hit the markets hard in early 2026. The Nasdaq fell by 7% in Q1, the S & P 500 fell by almost 5% and the Dow shed 4% (1) – the worst quarterly performance since 2022 (2).

CNN reports that the Dow and Nasdaq have both entered correction territory, with the Nasdaq closing more than 12.5% ​​below its October record, as oil prices continue to rise (3).

For many investors, it’s the kind of environment that causes fear. For Buffett, it barely registers.

“This is nothing to get excited about,” he said in a CNBC interview.

The 95-year-old “Oracle of Omaha” revealed that despite giving the role of CEO Berkshire Hathaway to Greg Abel on Jan. 1, 2026, he still comes to the office every day and is constantly dealing with financial decisions.

Buffett explained his routine: he calls Mark Millard, Berkshire’s chief financial officer, before the market opens each morning to discuss developments. Based on their conversation, Millard then makes a trade, although “I’m not going to make (investments) that Greg thinks are wrong,” Buffett explained to CNBC. “Greg gets the (updates) page every day.”

He also revealed that he recently bought “a small amount” – without disclosing what the investment was (4). The surprising purchase price has generated immediate speculation among investors, given Berkshire’s record cash flow and US Treasury assets of more than $370 billion at the end of 2025 (5).

In addition, the company recently bought $17 billion in Treasury bills at a weekly auction, Buffett shared in the interview.

Read More: 5 Important Investments You Can Make Once You’ve Saved $50,000

Buffett has put today’s uncertainty in historical context.

“The three times I’ve been in power, it’s actually gone down by more than 50%,” he said, pointing to the injuries that weakened the current backbone.

In his opinion, the market being priced a few percent below its recent peak does not change the investment figures for a firm like Berkshire.

“We’re not in it to make five or six percent,” he said (4).

That’s a stark difference from investors who might measure opportunity by short-term percentage movements. Buffett’s investment horizon is decades, not quarters.

Buffett’s position provides a practical blueprint for anyone tempted to make dramatic moves right now. The same war in Iran that made Brent a mess around $113 a barrel and sent CNN’s. Fear and Greed Index The “extreme fear” is exactly the type of headline-driven volatility that has historically caused average investors to sell near the bottom (3).

Buffett lived through Black Monday in 1987, the dot-com crash of 2000, the financial crisis of 2008-2009, and the COVID meltdown – all of which felt catastrophic at the time and all of which recovered (6).

And his approach hasn’t changed: unless rates drop to levels that generate huge long-term profits, patience trumps action.

Although Berkshire can represent a real opportunity, and many investors will not agree with that position, the basic discipline – do not confuse volatility with value, and do not just act on the feeling that you are doing something – is the one that anyone can use.

For now, Oracle’s message is simple: zoom out, stay consistent and don’t miss a bad quarter on the cheap.

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AOL Finance (1); Morningstar (2); CNN (3); CNBC (4); Berkshire Hathaway (5); Morningstar (6)

This article provides information only and should not be considered advice. Offered without warranty of any kind.