President Trump announced Monday that Operation Epic Fury — the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran — is running significantly ahead of schedule, making the declaration during a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House. Trump expressed supreme confidence in the mission’s outcome, saying America’s military strength guarantees the U.S. will “easily prevail” over the Iranian regime.
The operation launched Saturday and quickly achieved one of its most critical objectives: the elimination of Iran’s top military leadership. Trump revealed that while the operation was projected to take four weeks to take out Iran’s military command structure, it was accomplished in roughly one hour. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confirmed among the five to ten senior leaders killed in Israeli strikes as part of the joint campaign.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth reinforced the mission’s defined scope at a Pentagon briefing, outlining a clear three-part strategy and firmly rejecting any comparisons to prolonged U.S. engagements in the Middle East. Hegseth stated the U.S. “set the terms of this war from start to finish,” emphasizing the mission has realistic, interest-based objectives — not open-ended ambitions. He also bluntly warned Iran and any adversaries: “We will kill you.”
The broader military effort has involved over 1,000 Iranian targets struck in a 24-hour blitz using Tomahawk missiles, B-2 stealth bombers, and attack drones. The U.S. is focusing fire on ballistic missile infrastructure and military installations posing what officials describe as an “imminent threat,” while Israel concentrates on leadership targets. The operation is projected to last four to five weeks total, though Trump emphasized the U.S. has the capability to sustain it far longer if needed.