The end of Operation Epic Fury, which began in February and had aggressive characteristics against him, was recently announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of , who added that Operation Freedom (Project Freedom) has now begun, which has defensive characteristics as it focuses on the restoration of navigation in .
President Trump has notified Congress
As he said, “Operation Epic Rage has ended as the president informed Congress” and now, according to Rubio, the US is moving to Operation “Freedom”, with the aim of escorting merchant ships and ensuring their safe passage.
The White House has informed Congress that hostilities have ended at the end of the 60-day deadline, but President Donald Trump has not ruled out resuming military operations if negotiations fail or the ceasefire is violated.
At the center of the talks remains Tehran’s nuclear program, with Rubio pointing out that issues such as the stockpile of highly enriched uranium should be resolved through negotiations. As he said, “the president and his team are fully aware of the importance of this issue”, avoiding, however, to give more details so as not to affect the diplomatic process.
What Rubio said about the situation on the field
He also emphasized the situation in the field, describing a humanitarian dimension of the crisis. According to him, about 23,000 sailors are stranded in the Persian Gulf, coming from 87 countries, describing them as “easy targets, isolated and vulnerable”. In fact, he noted that “at least 10 sailors have already lost their lives” due to the situation in the Straits.
The US Secretary of State emphasized that the US operation is purely defensive in nature, stressing that “there is no firing unless we are fired first” and clarifying that the goal is to protect forces and navigation, not to escalate the conflict.
Call for Iran to return to negotiations
At the same time, he called on Iran to return to the negotiating table and choose “a reasonable course”, pointing out that there may initially be a more limited agreement, based on key points of understanding, before a full framework is formed.
Rubio has been particularly critical of Iran’s intentions, arguing that Tehran is “clearly” seeking to acquire a nuclear weapon and that its denials are inconsistent with its actions, such as the development of advanced centrifuges and the creation of underground facilities.
Finally, he warned that the international community cannot accept as “normality” Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz. “We cannot under any circumstances allow the fact that they can blow up merchant ships or lay mines to become normal,” he said, stressing that the US goal is to restore the operation of the passage “as it was before the war.”
