Rubio: U.S. Military Operation Against Iran Is Over
- 6.05.2026, 8:28
The Secretary of State said the goals had been achieved.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Operation Epic Fury against Iran is over. Washington is done with this phase and is now moving on to Project Liberty.
This is reported by Charter97.org citing a White House broadcast.
"Operation Complete. Operation Epic Fury, as the president has notified Congress, has concluded at this point. We have achieved the objectives of that operation," Rubio said.
He said the U.S. is now engaged in President Donald Trump's initiative to ensure unimpeded passage of merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Right now we are engaged in Project Freedom. Right now we're dealing with it. What that might lead to in the future remains a question for now," the secretary of state added.
The US is known to have hit several Iranian boats on Monday. Marco Rubio called the American military action in Iran during the ceasefire a "defensive operation."
"This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation. And that means very simply: there will only be shooting when they start shooting at us. You're not going to let some fast-moving katerik come up to the ship and start firing. We're going to respond to that. And we succeeded," the official said.
The secretary of state characterized the Freedom Project as a "security bubble" and a "first step" toward the full opening of this waterway. He stressed that Iran's control over the strait should not be normalized, criticizing Tehran's blockade and attempts to force other countries to pay for transit through the strait.
"They are trying to turn this into some kind of norm. Under no circumstances will we allow them to normalize the fact that they blow up merchant ships and plant mines in the water. We prefer that these straits be open the way they should be open - the way they have been," the US secretary of state said.
Resuming he added that issues regarding Iran's nuclear program, including highly enriched uranium, will be resolved through negotiations. Otherwise, Iran will "hold the world hostage" with nuclear weapons, so "somebody has to do something about it."
"With respect to negotiations, I think the president has made it clear that part of the negotiation process has to be not just enrichment, but what happens to this material that is somewhere very deep.... the president and the whole team recognize the importance of this issue and it's going to have to be resolved one way or another here," Rubio concluded.