Hegseth: ‘Operation Epic Fury was a Historic, Overwhelming Victory on the Battlefield’
“The world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism proved utterly incapable of defending itself, its people, or its territory. We unleashed just a fraction of our strength, and Iran suffered total military defeat.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared a total victory against Iran this morning, a day after President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire to open the Strait of Hormuz.
“Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield — a capital ‘V’ MILITARY VICTORY.
By any measure, Epic Fury decimated Iran’s military and rendered it combat ineffective for years to come.
In less than 40 days, one of our Combatant Commands — CENTCOM — using less than 10% of America’s total combat power, dismantled one of the world’s largest militaries.
The world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism proved utterly incapable of defending itself, its people, or its territory. We unleashed just a fraction of our strength, and Iran suffered total military defeat.”
.@SECWAR "Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield — a capital 'V' MILITARY VICTORY.
By any measure, Epic Fury decimated Iran’s military and rendered it combat ineffective for years to come.
In less than 40 days, one of our Combatant… pic.twitter.com/cCzqdih9NM
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) April 8, 2026
Our military has wiped out Iran’s military capabilities:
Together with our Israeli partners, America’s military achieved every single objective on plan, on schedule, exactly as laid out from day one.
Iran’s Navy is at the bottom of the sea, whether it’s the Solomani class, their frigate class, their prized drone aircraft carriers, submarines, mine layers sunk.
Iran’s Air Force has been wiped out. Iran no longer has an air defense, any sort of a comprehensive air defense system. We own their skies.
Their missile program is functionally destroyed. Launchers, production facilities, and existing stockpiles depleted and decimated and almost completely ineffective. Iran shot hundreds and hundreds of missiles and attack one way, attack drones at our aircraft carrier. They were obsessed with it, and they never got even close. Every single one of those shots easily shot down miles and miles away from the Abe Lincoln. They were blowing ammo into fantasy land.
Contrast that with most significantly, in last night’s wave of more than 800 strikes, we finished completely destroying Iran’s defense industrial base, a core pillar of our mission objective. What little they have left buried in bunkers is all they will have. They can still shoot. We know that their command and control is so decimated they can’t really talk and coordinate. So they still may shoot here and there, but that would be very, very, very unwise, but they can no longer build missiles, build rockets, build launchers or build UAVs. Their factories have been razed to the ground, set back in historic fashion.
.@SECWAR "Together with our Israeli partners, America’s military achieved every single objective — on plan, on schedule, exactly as laid out from Day One:
• Iran’s Navy is at the bottom of the sea…
• Iran’s Air Force has been WIPED OUT.
• Iran no longer has an air… pic.twitter.com/y7IktEp8wq— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) April 8, 2026
I love how this administration constantly stresses that Iran started this war 47 years ago when students, backed by the regime, invaded our embassy and held hostages for over a year.
Operation Epic Fury showed me that too many people only care about Americans when they’re on American soil.
The Iranian regime has killed around thousands of Americans since 1979.
.@SECWAR "Iran has been a THREAT to the United States and the free world for 47 years.
Chants 'Death to America.' Targeting our people. Killing Americans. Lying and blackmailing their way toward a nuclear weapon…
No longer. Not on our watch." pic.twitter.com/LI8ZG74uIQ
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) April 8, 2026
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Comments
???
Is it over?
The terrorist are still in charge amd hanging people
Who knows. This ceasefire stuff is predictable right after the ‘war crimes’ uproar where opponents of anything Trump went off like chimps on crack. I go back a day or so to a throw a way comment about the Kurds, guns etc. Why say it out loud unless it was to misdirect? Iranian people need guns.
>> Is it over?
Not until we hear from the Pakistani mediator Fhat Laidi Singhs
No. But it will be out of the headlines. Shipping will resume.
Peace with honor. Like Vietnam.
No, 50,000 Americans were thrown away in Vietnam
Not to mention body parts.
I was quoting the line Nixon or some other politician used to describe our pull-out.
PS: And yes. Thrown away. Making Vietnam safe for Japanese, American, and Koreans to have manufacturing plants with chep labor.
Trump going to declare victory and go home now? Leave iran with uranium, and in control of straits? Operation epic fail.
That’s exactly what he should do. We turned their nuclear program to rubble. We shouldn’t be extending our power to keep control of a waterway halfway around the world that our shipping doesn’t even really use. Let Europeans keep it open if they care about it so much. I’m sure the US government has communicated to what’s left of the Iranian government that if they start harassing American shipping then the missiles will resume. Our job there is done.
Exactly. Britannia rules the waves and all that. Not to mention the Kriegsmarine with the Tirpitz and the Bismark!
Oh, Wait…
He’s already said he’s going to take their enriched uranium and that the US will control the Strait.
1. This is what “peace in our time” actually is supposed to look like. The FAFO rule is still in effect.
2. The US is terrible at nation building. The Persians need to own that, not us.
2.a Don’t think the CIA and Israel are standing with their hands in their pockets. Not every damn thing has to be a headline.
3. Violence, Deception, Dishonesty. These are the only languages the Iranian regime understands and we too can speak it. We spoke it.
Not getting us into a protracted ground war is a win.
We have to get the uranium…
Trump said the B-52s buried it and we know where it is – US to remove the 1000 pounds of dust with the Iranians as part of the deal.
I’m not in the strategy room, but the best plan for getting the Uranium involves Iranians killing other Iranians. David Strom’s article yesterday spelled that out nicely.
The FAFO consequences for Iran breaking the peace are so astronomical with the ability for us to dial it up or down- the leadership KNOWs we or Isreal can kill any one of them between the toilet and morning prayer. That is probably sinking in. Finally. I still don’t trust them, but kill enough bad guys and other bad guys start to notice.
Don’t think the west is the only civilization capable of tearing itself apart from the inside, with much help from foreign influences. I very much like that happening rather than via Headline news with MSM taking the side of Baghdad Bob at every pin prick.
Trump squandered his political capital on this? How long before iran tests nuke?
It’s going to be a very long time before they can start on their nuclear program again. I trust that was the first thing the US military took out.
Long time means before 2028 election? Then republicans out of power for 8 years?
ahahahha
you think that just because/c someone(s) is still able to launch an attack against us means that we havent won?
unless you atomic bomb>>>nuke them there will be resistance
now work on getting american schools and streets maga or the left will tear us apart ( like they already are) like their bros do overseas
nyc chi oakland seattle la etc etc are bombed out leftist strongholds that cant even be navigated by those that live there
A great victory!!!
Iran is letting ships go through!!
Except no, we all have MarineTracker now and can see for ourselves it patently false.
The precedent has been set. Fire a missile or sink a vessel in the Strait of H and lose a power plant or bridge or something else (A bomb on a HQ). Good trade for us.
Trump backed off and signaled weakness. Iran government will never “negotiate” anything now.
Hegseth did way too much nut-scratching. Look, it’s not that I disapproved of the war effort. Not one little bit. But I sure as hell didn’t go for the rah-rah-rah, nor did I appreciate the religious references. Not one little bit anti-Christian here, but the implicit linking of Jesus Christ to this did no one any single bit of good.
This isn’t a victory. The regime is still in place and causing havoc. Their proxies are still intact even if degraded. If this continues there will be a pause of a few years and then it will all resume again. There may not be a next time because its unclear to me that the country or whomever the next president is will have the will for a next time. Perhaps this is the best that could be done but given the circumstances I don’t think that is the case.
We would all be interested in hearing your suggestions for how to permanently eradicate evil.
Not possible without eradicating all human life.
“The world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism proved utterly incapable of defending itself, its people, or its territory. We unleashed just a fraction of our strength, and Iran suffered total military defeat.”
This is like the third time this has been announced. Yet they keep getting back up and doing more serious damage to neighbors.
Come on, Pete. It ain’t over ’til it’s over. And this ain’t over.
The military has been doing a great job. Now let’s see if the civilians up top can take some STFU medicine.
As a military operation, the results are impressive and historic. They made taking down the Iranian military look easy.
As a political matter, the results are less certain. Did we accomplish our goals? I’m not offended by taking on Iran — this has been in the making for 49 years. Rather this has a look a bit like Gulf War I. Massive military success, but stopped short of the ultimate objective.
Ari Fleischer had a brilliant observation on with Laura this evening about Trump saying he would end a civilization. He said it was language which is imperfect in English but in Persian they understand that type of rhertoric completely. It is how they think, speak. In their culture it was expressed perfectly.
Time for Epic Fury II…. “no more mister nice guy”. This sequel better be the last and finish the job. The only good IRGC is a dead one. While the US fights, Islam plays the game to win.. one way or another.
Sham peace talks in pakistan means lost mid-terms?