“Operation Epic Fury failed as a total victory. But over the past three years, the United States has accumulated a series of gains that have largely reversed Iran’s regional successes over the prior 20 years,” writes James Jeffrey.

Operation Epic Fury has delivered decisive outcomes, including the decimation of the Iranian regime’s military capacity. President Trump holds all the cards, and he is making sure Iran won't obtain a nuclear weapon.

USS Abraham Lincoln hull stat marks for “Epic Fury” The scoreboard painted on the island superstructure of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) showcases the visual breakdown of combat tallies achieved during Operation Epic Fury. While the physical scoreboard on the ship's hull displays 103 drone symbols and 34 ship symbols, official citations released by the U.S. Navy credit the entire strike group with higher combat numbers overall (including 77 drones shot down, 64 Iranian vessels sunk, 21 cruise missiles destroyed, and 450 Tomahawk launches). The visual scoreboard painted on the island represents a combination of direct carrier air wing actions alongside the individual contributions of escorting destroyers like the USS Spruance (DDG-111) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112).

🇺🇸🇮🇷‘The president has declared Operation Epic Fury to have concluded’ — Speaker Johnson ‘We’re working on the next project, which is getting the Strait of Hormuz open’ ‘We don't expect that to be a warfare activity’

CBS News reports that the Pentagon officially ended Operation Epic Fury on May 5, but an Air Force email dated Aug. 7 instructed military leaders to stop using the operation’s name when referring to ongoing U.S. military activity against Iran. Instead, personnel were told to use broader language such as “overseas operations in the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility.” The guidance reportedly went beyond the Air Force and was disseminated across the Defense Department. The Pentagon says subsequent activities included Freedom of Navigation operations and strikes against IRGC threats to commercial shipping, Gulf countries and U.S. forces. Trump formally notified Congress on July 7 that U.S. military action against Iran had restarted after the April ceasefire collapsed. The timing has also created questions about casualty accounting. Four service members killed in July were initially categorized by the Defense Department as killed during Operation Epic Fury, despite the Pentagon now saying the operation ended May 5. They were subsequently moved into a new “overseas operations” category, reducing the recorded Epic Fury deaths from 18 to 14. The Pentagon attributed the earlier classification to a “temporary data disruption,” while the current casualty system still contains apparent inconsistencies, including June wounded and a July death listed under Epic Fury. The broader issue is that the Pentagon now acknowledges a May 5 end date that it previously declined to provide publicly, even though U.S. and Iranian forces continued exchanging fire and U.S. military operations related to the conflict continued afterward. Source:

My latest: The Iran Question Is All About China Why Operation Epic Fury Is the Opening Act of the Indo-Pacific Century The Iran question was never about Iran. Remove the Islamic Republic from the equation and China loses its pawns for a Taiwan contingency. Leave it in place and the Middle East remains what Beijing designed it to be: a second front that Washington can never afford to leave and can never afford to stay in. Trump's strikes are the first move by an American president who appears to understand that the road to the Pacific runs through Tehran.

Sec. of War Pete Hegseth confirms that 18 Americans have lost their lives during Operation Epic Fury. Hegseth said he has visited Dover Air Force Base and that their sacrifice only strengthens the US military's resolve.