Despite there still being quite a bit of dust left to settle, it appears Operation Epic Fury is fully living up to its name.
The joint military effort between the U.S. and Israel successfully neutralized the now-deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the weekend — and that earth-shattering salvo appears to be just the tip of the spear.
According to Fox News, President Donald Trump spoke on the aftermath and fallout of Operation Epic Fury, and it appears there’s still a lot of work to do.
FOX NEWS REPORT: President Trump says Operation Epic Fury is progressing faster than expected as more than 1,200 Iranian targets have been struck, including the country’s entire naval fleet of 11 ships. Iran has responded with strikes on at least nine countries across the region,… pic.twitter.com/NGnuB6QbHW
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 2, 2026
While Iran has lashed out in retaliation against its neighboring countries, that doesn’t appear to be an even tradeoff.
Not only did Trump note that over 1,200 targets have been hit as part of this operation, but that all 11 ships in the Iranian navy had been taken out.
Additionally, Trump noted that Operation Epic Fury could last for another four to six weeks.
Operation Epic Fury fully commenced Saturday, when joint U.S.-Israeli forces struck a decisive blow to Iranian leadership.
Pres Trump told me tonight the US had identified possible candidates to take over Iran, but they were killed in the initial attack.
“The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates,” Trump told me. “It’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because…
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) March 2, 2026
“The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates,” Trump told ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl, in reference to who could take the place of Khamenei.
The president added, “It’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they are all dead. Second or third place is dead.”
Trump’s disdain for Iran’s leadership was apparent on Saturday, when he took to Truth Social to announce Khamenei’s death.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” he posted. “This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS.”
Tragically, there have been some losses on the U.S. side.
According to U.S. Central Command, at least three U.S. service members died in Operation Epic Fury, while another five were seriously injured.
The number of Americans killed rose to six as of Monday evening, per CBS News.
CENTCOM Update
TAMPA, Fla. – As of 9:30 am ET, March 1, three U.S. service members have been killed in action and five are seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury.
Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions — and are in the process of being…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 1, 2026
“The situation is fluid, so out of respect for the families, we will withhold additional information, including the identities of our fallen warriors, until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified,” Central Command posted.
It added that “several” other service members “sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions.”
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