US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the Trump administration's position that the war with Iran has effectively ended, despite continued military activity across the region and ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Rubio says Operation Epic Fury has achieved its goals
Appearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Rubio argued that the United States had already accomplished its military objectives in the conflict.
"We're no longer conducting sustained strikes inside of Iran to degrade their military, because Epic Fury is over," Rubio told lawmakers, per an NDTV report.
The conflict, referred to by Washington as Operation Epic Fury, began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 and has since expanded into a broader regional confrontation. Iran has responded by targeting US allies and restricting access through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil and gas shipments.
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Rubio described the campaign as a success, saying, "We define victory as destroying their defense industrial base, significantly reducing the number of missile launchers that they possess, significantly reducing their stockpile of drones."
"And we achieved all those, in addition to destroying what they had left of an air force and wiping out their entire conventional navy."
#WATCH | On India-Pakistan, US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio says, "We did a peace deal with Azerbaijan and Armenia... The second is India-Pakistan. We ended that war. We were involved in helping broker that... We are carrying out diplomacy all over the world constantly and… pic.twitter.com/Q9D0NTdnF2
— ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2026
Democrats challenge administration's claim
Rubio's assessment was met with sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who argued that the conflict remains active and dangerous.
Their concerns came as Iran launched fresh attacks in the region. A strike on Kuwait's airport on Wednesday reportedly killed one person and injured 63 others. Bahrain, another Gulf nation hosting a major US military presence, also faced overnight drone attacks.
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Representative Sara Jacobs of California pushed back against Rubio's claims, telling him: "You can change the name of the operation. It doesn't change the fact that the Strait's still closed, and my service members, and all of our service members, are still in harm's way."
Nuclear talks remain unresolved
Rubio also updated lawmakers on negotiations with Tehran, saying discussions continue over Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpiles. According to him, Iran has not yet agreed to a final peace deal.
Washington is seeking commitments from Iran on its nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Rubio noted that progress had been made in discussions but added, "I think now, in some of the papers that have been exchanged back and forth, it's clearly addressed, but we...still don't have final sign off from their system as of this morning."
