Rubio announces end of 'Operation Epic Fury' in Iran, says nuclear material must be addressed

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on May 5, 2026 that Operation Epic Fury, a 10-week U.S. military campaign against Iran, has concluded and the United States is transitioning to Project Freedom, which includes efforts to secure traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Rubio stated the operation eliminated Iran's ability to shield its nuclear program but declined to commit whether obtaining Iran's nuclear material is necessary to end the conflict. President Trump's primary objective has been preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and his negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are working to bring Iran to the negotiating table for a memorandum of understanding. Despite Trump's social media claims of positive discussions, Rubio's comments suggest Iranian negotiating teams have not yet engaged, revealing a disconnect between the administration's public messaging and actual diplomatic progress.

Conclusion of Operation Epic Fury and transition to Project Freedom

• ▪The United States is moving on to Project Freedom following Operation Epic Fury
• ▪Marco Rubio made his first appearance at the White House briefing room podium as Secretary of State on May 5, 2026
• ▪Operation Epic Fury wiped out Iran's ability to build a shield behind which Iran could hide its nuclear program
• ▪Project Freedom includes efforts to move traffic through the Strait of Hormuz
• ▪Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that Operation Epic Fury in Iran is over
• ▪President Donald Trump notified Congress that the United States is done with the Operation Epic Fury stage

Iran's nuclear material and unresolved objectives

• ▪Marco Rubio would not commit to whether the United States must obtain Iran's nuclear material for the war to end
• ▪President Donald Trump's primary objective in the war with Iran has been to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon
• ▪President Donald Trump has been quick to threaten additional military action against Iran
• ▪Marco Rubio stated that addressing Iran's nuclear material is one of the topics that needs to be discussed
• ▪The conflict with Iran has been ongoing for 10 weeks as of May 5, 2026

Status of diplomatic negotiations with Iran

• ▪Marco Rubio's comments suggest that talks with Iran are not ongoing and more work is needed to get Iranian teams to the table
• ▪President Donald Trump would prefer to sit down and work out a memorandum of understanding with Iran for future negotiations
• ▪President Donald Trump stated on Sunday, May 3, 2026 in a social media post that his representatives are having very positive discussions with Iran
• ▪Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are President Donald Trump's top negotiators working on bringing Iran back to the negotiating table

Perspective of Marco Rubio

• ▪Marco Rubio characterized Operation Epic Fury as having successfully eliminated Iran's defensive shield for its nuclear program
• ▪Marco Rubio's statements indicate that Iranian negotiating teams have not yet come to the table despite Trump's claims of positive discussions
• ▪Marco Rubio avoided committing to whether seizing Iran's nuclear material is a requirement for ending the conflict

Perspective of President Donald Trump

• ▪President Donald Trump's preferred outcome is a negotiated memorandum of understanding with Iran rather than continued military action
• ▪President Donald Trump has maintained a posture of threatening additional military strikes against Iran throughout the 10-week conflict