United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on Tuesday that the American military’s combat operation against Iran has officially ended, even as Iranian missile and drone attacks on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) cast fresh doubt on a fragile ceasefire that has held since early April.
Rubio told reporters at the White House that Operation Epic Fury, the roughly two-month military campaign that initiated a US-Israel war with Iran, had effectively concluded. “The operation is over. Epic Fury, as the president notified Congress, we’re done with that stage of it. We’re now on to this Project Freedom,” he said.
The declaration was aimed squarely at mounting congressional pressure. The Trump administration cited the April 8 ceasefire in asserting that the president did not need to provide a formal update to Congress on the war under the War Powers Resolution (WPR), the law that typically requires presidents to seek formal legislative approval for war activities 60 days after beginning military action. That 60-day window expired last Friday.
In its place, Rubio described Project Freedom, a narrower naval mission to escort stranded commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, as a separate defensive operation. “This is not an offensive operation,” Rubio said. “There’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first.” He acknowledged the mission would not fully reopen the strait, but characterised it as a necessary challenge to what he called Iran’s economic stranglehold on global shipping.
The humanitarian stakes are significant. General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that roughly 22,500 mariners on more than 1,550 commercial vessels remain trapped in the Arabian Gulf due to Iranian restrictions on shipping.
The diplomatic picture remained unresolved. Rubio stressed that any peace agreement must include Iran’s nuclear programme, specifically addressing more than 900 pounds (408 kilograms) of highly enriched uranium that Tehran has not surrendered. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are continuing to pursue a diplomatic path.
The ceasefire came under direct strain on Monday and continued Tuesday. The UAE’s Ministry of Defence said its air defences engaged 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones launched from Iran. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what it called renewed terrorist, unprovoked Iranian attacks targeting civilian sites and facilities in the country. A drone sparked a large fire at a key oil facility in the emirate of Fujairah, wounding three Indian nationals.
Despite the attacks, the White House stopped short of declaring the ceasefire broken. Rubio said a ceasefire in the Middle East was still holding, while adding that for peace to be achieved, Iran must agree to US demands on its nuclear programme and also commit to reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
By Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump announced a further shift. Trump said he had paused the US effort to guide stranded vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, stating that the naval blockade on Iranian ports would remain in place while the administration pursues what he described as a complete and final agreement with Iran’s representatives.
