President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States may carry out another military operation against Iran, telling supporters at a rally in Florida that Washington may do "another little Epic Fury" as the war approaches its eighth month.
President Donald Trump. Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
"We may do another little Epic Fury," Trump said as he spoke about the war, according to Reuters. He did not elaborate, offering no details about the possible scale, timing or targets of any new operation.
Shifting signals on the war
"Operation Epic Fury" is the name used by the US military for its war against Iran, fought alongside Israel. Earlier on Friday, Trump said the United States could end the war quickly, but he questioned whether Washington should seek a swift conclusion or allow the conflict to gradually wind down instead.
The remarks were the latest in a series of shifting goals and timelines from the president. Earlier this month, Trump said the US would not launch an attack on Iran before the November 3 midterm elections, in which control of Congress is at stake. Friday's rally comments pointed in a different direction, raising fresh questions about what comes next in the conflict.
A war with a heavy toll
US and Israeli strikes on Iran, together with Israeli attacks on Lebanon, have killed thousands of people and displaced millions since the war began, according to Reuters. The fighting has also rattled global energy markets, pushing up fuel prices that American households feel directly at the gas pump.
Those higher fuel prices are weighing on the midterm elections, where Trump's Republicans are fighting to keep control of Congress. That makes any decision about escalating — or ending — the Iran war a political calculation as much as a military one, with voters already blaming the administration's policies for rising living costs.
What to watch
Trump gave no indication of when a decision might come, and the White House has not announced any new operation. For now, the comment stands as a warning rather than a plan: the president is keeping the option of another strike on the table while the war nears its eighth month, and while his party faces voters in less than two weeks.
Sources: Reuters.