Rubio Says Epic Fury Is Over as Trump Pauses Hormuz Escort Effort

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Operation Epic Fury, the roughly two-month American military campaign against Iran, is over, and that the United States has moved to a defensive posture focused on restoring commercial passage through the Strait of Hormuz. “The operation is over,” Rubio told reporters at a White House briefing, according to Time. “This is not an offensive operation,” he said of the effort to protect shipping, adding, “There’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first.”

Later Tuesday night, Stars and Stripes reported, President Trump announced he had paused Project Freedom, the mission to guide commercial vessels through the strait, one day after it began. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had described the mission as temporary earlier in the day, the newspaper said. Time reported that Hegseth said only two commercial ships had passed through the strait under U.S. protection since the Navy began clearing a narrow passage. Before the war, about 130 ships a day transited the waterway.

The administration has told Congress that “hostilities” with Iran formally ended, citing a ceasefire reached nearly a month ago, Time reported. Iran has nonetheless continued missile and drone attacks on shipping and on the United Arab Emirates, the magazine said. U.S. forces destroyed small Iranian boats and intercepted projectiles but stopped short of what officials called major combat operations. Hegseth said the ceasefire remains intact despite recent attacks on U.S. forces. Trump played down the flare-ups but would not say what would count as a violation. “You’ll find out,” he said, according to Time.

Diplomacy continues. A U.S. delegation led by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff is still working out what Iran might be willing to negotiate, Time reported. Rubio said a diplomatic solution must be “very clear about the topics” but does not need a finished written agreement. He accused Iran of pursuing weapons-related capabilities, including advanced centrifuges and long-range missiles, and said of Iran’s claims that it does not seek a bomb, “they just don’t mean it.”

Rubio defended the Hormuz mission as “the first step” and said the United States would bear the main burden. He said other countries had quietly offered help and called the effort “a favor to the world,” according to Time. He downplayed the direct impact on American consumers, even as Time noted that gasoline prices have surged.

The announcement comes as the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day deadline has passed. CBS News reported that on Friday, the 60th day since the president notified Congress of the war, Trump told congressional leaders that hostilities had “terminated,” and that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer rejected the claim. Trump has called the law unconstitutional, CBS reported.

The pause leaves the Gulf’s shipping problem unresolved. Stars and Stripes reported that the Navy continues to enforce its blockade of Iranian ports, and that Iran has threatened to attack any vessel that tries to transit the strait without its permission.