Trump Says US May Do ‘Another Little Epic Fury’ Against Iran

President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States may carry out another military operation against Iran, as the war between the two countries nears its eighth month and rising fuel prices weigh on the November 3 midterm elections. “We may do another little Epic Fury,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Fort Myers, Florida, according to Reuters. He did not elaborate. Operation Epic Fury is the name used by the US military for its war against Iran, which began on February 28, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran and Tehran responded with strikes on Israel and on Gulf states hosting US military bases.

The Fort Myers News-Press, which covered the rally at Florida Gulf Coast University’s Alico Arena, recorded the fuller remark: “We may do another little Epic Fury, or they’ll agree. If they’re smart, they’ll just say, ‘Let’s get down to business.’ But I doubt they’ll do that because perhaps they’re not smart.” In the same speech, Trump referred to Operation Midnight Hammer, the earlier US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, and said the conflict would end “one way or the other.”

On Saturday, speaking to reporters after voting in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said the United States was considering a strike as early as Sunday. Asked how far along he was in considering an attack, he said, “We’re thinking about doing it, and maybe tomorrow,” according to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency. “Do you really think I’m going to tell you if I’m going to do it?” he added. Trump said Iran could still avoid further military action by reaching an agreement with Washington. “They want to make a deal, but the problem is, will they hold the deal?” he said. He said his objective was to prevent Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon: “I’ve got to make it permanent. That’s the only reason I’m doing it.” He added: “I may have to finish it off, or maybe they’ll make a deal. But I’m not sure. Either way, we win.”

Earlier on Friday, Trump said the United States could end the war quickly, but questioned whether Washington should seek a swift conclusion or allow the conflict to wind down gradually, Reuters reported. Reuters noted that Trump has offered shifting goals and timelines for the war, and that earlier this month he said the United States would not launch an attack on Iran before the midterm elections, in which control of Congress is at stake and his Republican Party holds narrow majorities in both chambers. The Fort Myers remarks were also preceded this week by Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, who said a strike on Iran as soon as this weekend was “absolutely” possible. Asked about Barrack’s comments on Friday, Trump said: “That was my ambassador? He’s a pretty powerful man, I guess. If that’s the case, I don’t know anything about it.”

The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that sailors aboard the USS George Washington carrier strike group were loading munitions and readying aircraft for possible strikes, which officials described as preparation rather than confirmation that strikes had been authorized. The Journal reported that Trump had been briefed on Pentagon options ranging from strikes on nuclear facilities and infrastructure to operations targeting Iranian-controlled islands, with no final decision announced.

Iran answered on several fronts. Major General Ali Abdollahi, chief of the general staff of Iran’s armed forces, said US warships cannot re-enter the Persian Gulf and that Iran can target any vessel in the region, according to Iranian state media reported by Al Jazeera. President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed the United States for the collapse of interim deal talks, but urged a new attempt to reach a deal, Reuters reported. Separately, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters on October 23 that Tehran had drawn up detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf if the United States and Israel launch further attacks on Iran; Yadollah Javani, a deputy head of political affairs in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, had indicated that seven major internet cables passing beneath the Strait of Hormuz could be targeted if Iranian infrastructure came under attack.

The president’s remarks landed in the same news cycle as a warning from his own intelligence chief. In a memo dated October 23 to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton wrote that Iran has “substantially increased efforts to target US personnel” and that “the lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against US citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries,” Reuters reported. The State Department on Wednesday ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave US diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia, and on Saturday updated travel advisories for more than a dozen countries across the Gulf and Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Israel, citing an increased threat from Iran-aligned Houthi forces.

The war’s costs are part of the backdrop. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands of people and displaced millions, according to Reuters, and the fighting has driven up oil and gas prices worldwide; Brent crude rose on Friday to its highest level since March, according to market reports. A ceasefire and interim agreement reached in June halted the heaviest fighting, but no final settlement has been announced. As of Saturday night, no new strike and no deal had been announced.

Sources: Reuters; Anadolu Agency; The News-Press (Fort Myers); Al Jazeera; The Wall Street Journal, as reported.