The White House is declaring Operation Epic Fury a success and pushing for a negotiated peace, while also making clear that U.S. forces are prepared to escalate if Iran fails to comply.
The White House said on Wednesday the joint military operation with Israel achieved its core objectives “with overwhelming strength and lethal precision,” and press secretary Karoline Leavitt called it “a victory for the United States of America.”
War Secretary Pete Hegseth doubled down at the Pentagon on Wednesday, calling the operation a ”decisive military victory.”
However, there is also a second message coming from the White House and the Pentagon.
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that U.S. military assets, weaponry, and personnel will remain “in and around Iran“ until any “REAL AGREEMENT” is fully honored. Reuters reported that Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said U.S. forces are ready to resume combat if diplomacy fails.
The real question now is not whether the administration landed a serious blow, but what will prove that the operation produced long-lasting strategic success.
Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday called the current arrangement a “fragile truce” and said Trump is ”impatient” with the pace of progress.
The administration has said the mission was clear from the start: destroy Iran’s missile capability, cripple its navy, sever its support for proxy forces, and ensure Tehran never acquires a nuclear weapon.
The White House has tied that next phase of the ceasefire to specific outcomes: no path to a nuclear weapon, an open and secure Strait of Hormuz, and full compliance with what Trump called a “real agreement.”
Vance will lead the U.S. delegation to Pakistan for the first round of peace talks with Iranian officials on Saturday, the White House announced Wednesday.
Iran’s lead negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned this week that Israel had violated the ceasefire by continuing attacks against the Iran-aligned militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, and added that the U.S had violated the agreement by insisting that Iran abandon its nuclear ambitions, Reuters reported.
“In such a situation, a bilateral ceasefire or negotiations were unreasonable,” he said in a statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he is seeking direct talks with Lebanon that would include disarming Hezbollah.
Reuters contributed to this report.
