Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed the end of “Operation Epic Fury.”
The State Secretary affirmed that the U.S. has achieved its objectives in its military operation against the Islamic Republic, despite not yet securing Iran’s nuclear stockpile.
During a White House briefing, Secretary Rubio took on questions from reporters in the midst of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s maternity leave.
“Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation,” Rubio told reporters, revealing that the U.S. has transitioned from its offensive campaign into a defensive operation – “Project Freedom.”
“Now, what’s really important for you to report and for everyone to understand is that this is not an offensive operation; this is a defensive operation. And what that means is very simple, there’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first,” Secretary Rubio emphasized.
Secretary Rubio assured reporters that the U.S would continue to deploy its military assets to defend freedom of navigation within the Strait of Hormuz, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Calls for a Nuclear Agreement
Secretary Rubio also affirmed that it was time for Iran to “accept the reality of the situation,” urging the Islamic Republic to reach a nuclear deal as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner continue to finalize a diplomatic solution.
“The president’s been clear that part of the negotiation process has to be not just the enrichment, but what happens to this material that’s buried deep somewhere that they still have access to if they ever wanted to dig it out,” Rubio stated.
“This is highly complex, and highly technical, but we have to have a diplomatic solution that is very clear about the topics that they are willing to negotiate on and the extent and the concessions they are willing to make at the front end in order to make those talks worthwhile,” Secretary Rubio added.