Rubio declares US operation against Iran over, claims Washington achieved military objectives
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Wednesday that Washingtonโs military campaign against Iran, codenamed โOperation Epic Furyโ, had concluded and that any subsequent American military action would be defensive in nature rather than part of an ongoing offensive operation. Rubio made the remarks during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing when members of Congress questioned the administrationโs assessment of the conflict and its aftermath. His comments came amid continuing concerns over regional security, the deployment of US forces across the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime route through which a significant share of the worldโs oil exports pass. During the hearing, Rubio announced, โWeโre no longer conducting sustained strikes inside of Iran to degrade their military, because Epic Fury is over.โ Later, he reiterated: โEpic Fury is over โฆ that operation has concluded.โ Rubio argued that the operation was a โvictoryโ as Washington achieved its objectives by severely degrading Iranโs conventional military capabilities. According to the secretary, the United States had destroyed Iranโs defence industrial base, significantly reduced its missile launchers and drone stockpile, destroyed what remained of its air force and wiped out its conventional navy. โThose are all gone,โ Rubio said. โSo, I consider that victory, and we did, too. And that was the purpose of Epic Fury.โ He also noted that despite the extensive damage inflicted by the United States and Israel, Iran retained some drone and maritime combat capabilities. Rubioโs comments prompted a sharp exchange with Democratic Representative Sara Jacobs, who questioned the administrationโs assertion that the war was over while American troops remained deployed across the region and the Strait of Hormuz remained closed. Jacobs asked: โYou can change the name of the operation, it doesnโt change the fact that the Straitโs still closed, and my service members and all of our service members are still in harmโs way.โ She continued: โIโd like to talk about the war in Iran. Yesterday, in your testimony, you told Senator Booker that the war in Iran is over. This is news to me. Itโs also news to my 2,500 constituents Marines, San Diego, Marines, in the Middle East, the other of my constituents who are deployed there and the thousands more of my constituents who have 48-hour deployment notices whose families are still very concerned.โ Jacobs said she was willing to accept the secretaryโs claim but still had a question for him: โWho won?โ Responding, Rubio defended the administrationโs definition of victory and said the operation had accomplished the goals set by Washington. โWeโre no longer conducting sustained strikes inside of their military because Epic Fury is over. The second point, as on the question of who won, I can tell you this: we define victory. โWe define victory as destroying their defence industrial base significantly, reducing the number of missile launchers that they possess significantly, reducing the stockpile of drones,โ he added. โAnd we achieved all of those in addition to destroying what they had left of an Air Force and wiping out their entire conventional navy. Those are all gone, so I consider that victory and we did too, and that was the purpose of Epic [Fury]โ The lawmaker countered his argument, saying that, โYou can change the name of the operation, but it doesnโt change the fact that the Strait of Hormuz is still closed and my service members and all of our service members are still in war.โ In a further exchange during the hearing, Jacobs accused Rubio of failing to recognise that the administration was โlosing this reckless war of choiceโ. She added a personal remark, saying: โAnd just like you couldnโt admit that the shoes the president bought you were too big, you clearly donโt know what winning means.โ Secretary Rubio appeared momentarily confused by the reference and responded with frustration: โI donโt know what shoes sheโs talking aboutโฆ Theyโre some Florsheimโs. Theyโre actually pretty good. They fit fine.โ Jacobs then challenged the administrationโs claims regarding Iranโs military capabilities, citing intelligence assessments. โOur intelligence community has said that Iran is reconstituting its military industrial base faster than we had predicted,โ she said. โAnalysts assess it still holds roughly 70% of its missile stockpile and 70% of its mobile launchers,โ said the lawmaker. Jacobs further argued that the strategic situation had deteriorated since the conflict began. โThe Strait of Hormuz was open before the war, it is now closedโฆโ Secretary Rubio pushed back on her assertions, disputing the basis of the intelligence being referenced. โWell, first of all, I donโt know what intelligence assessments youโre referring to.โ โWe wouldnโt discuss intelligence assessments if they were real.โ The exchange highlighted the continuing debate in Washington over the consequences of the conflict with Iran. While the administration maintains that the operation successfully achieved its military objectives and has now ended, critics argue that threats to US forces and instability in the Gulf region persist despite the cessation of large-scale American strikes. Rubioโs remarks nevertheless marked the clearest public declaration by the administration to date that the military phase of โEpic Furyโ has concluded and that the United States no longer considers itself engaged in an offensive campaign against Iran. Political aims, diplomacy debate Rubio also told lawmakers that while the administration would welcome political change in Iran, it was not the objective of the US military mission. โWe would love to see a change in Iran and that they be governed by people,โ Rubio told the Committee after Republican Congressman Michael McCaul expressed hopes for a โfree Iranโ. However, he stressed: โThat was not the goal of our mission,โ adding that the objective was to deprive Tehran of the ability to threaten the region with missiles, drones and a potential nuclear weapons capability. โThe goal of our mission was to take away their ability to threaten the region with an overwhelming number of missiles and drones,โ he said, adding that the US had to prevent Iran from โbreak[ing] out to a nuclear weapon.โ The hearing also featured sharp criticism from Democrats. Representative Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the committee, accused the Trump administration of abandoning diplomacy and escalating regional conflict. In prepared remarks, Meeks said President Trump had promised Americans โno new wars โ only to send a new generation of troops back to the Middle East.โ He argued that the administration had โtraded dialogue for bombs yet againโ and claimed that โAmerica Firstโ had left the United States isolated. โThe record says otherwise on all three,โ Meeks said, referring to Rubioโs pledge to make America โsafer, stronger, and more prosperousโ. He added that Americans were โnot safer while fighting an unnecessary warโ and โnot more prosperous when this administration has done everything it can to enrich the president and his allies, while everyday Americans struggle to afford groceries, gas, and healthcareโ.