Trump says US may launch ‘another little Epic Fury’ against Iran

FORT MYERS: US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington could carry out another military operation against Iran, raising the prospect of renewed strikes as the war approached its eighth month and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remained stalled.

“We may do another little Epic Fury,” Trump told a campaign rally in Fort Myers, Florida, using the US military’s name for its campaign against Iran.

He did not provide details about the timing, scale or possible targets of another operation.

The remarks came as rising fuel prices added political pressure on Trump ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections, with the conflict disrupting global energy markets and contributing to higher prices at home.

Trump had previously said the United States would not attack Iran before the midterms.

Earlier on Friday, he also suggested Washington had the ability to end the war quickly but questioned whether it should seek an immediate conclusion or allow the conflict to gradually wind down.

The comments followed Trump’s assertion a day earlier that the war could end “very soon”, although he said Washington wanted to ensure that any settlement would last.

Trump has repeatedly offered varying timelines for bringing the conflict to an end while maintaining that Iran would not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.

Iran warns of wider retaliation

Trump’s latest warning came as Tehran stepped up threats over the consequences of another major US-Israeli attack.

Two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters that Iran had drawn up detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf if Washington and Israel launched renewed strikes.

Iranian officials have also warned that another round of attacks could trigger a broader response against US-linked military and other infrastructure across the region.

Tensions have remained particularly high around the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian forces have targeted or intercepted vessels and Washington has sought to escort shipping through the strategic waterway.

The strait carried roughly a fifth of the world’s petroleum liquids before the conflict, making disruption there one of the war’s most significant consequences for global energy markets.

War, ceasefires and stalled talks

The conflict began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched a large-scale military campaign against Iran while negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme were still under way. Washington called its operation “Epic Fury”, targeting Iranian military leadership, missile capabilities, command structures and nuclear facilities. Six months into the conflict, however, Iran had not yielded to Washington’s principal demands.

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks against Israel and Gulf states hosting US forces, rapidly widening the conflict. The fighting also spilled into Lebanon and placed growing pressure on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil and gas prices higher and exposing economies far beyond the Middle East to the consequences of the war. The initial escalation also drew condemnation and calls for restraint from governments around the world.

Pakistan subsequently emerged as one of the principal mediators. In April, Islamabad presented Iran and the United States with a two-stage ceasefire framework, calling first for an immediate halt to hostilities and then negotiations towards a broader agreement covering issues including the nuclear dispute, sanctions and navigation through Hormuz.

Those efforts eventually produced the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in June, signed electronically by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signing in his role as mediator. Under the initial framework, Iran was to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while Washington moved towards lifting its naval blockade. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt were among the regional countries involved in the wider diplomatic effort.

The breakthrough proved short-lived. By July, the US-Iran ceasefire memorandum was already beginning to fray as Washington and Tehran accused each other of violations and differences emerged over how the broadly worded commitments should be implemented.

Pakistan continued trying to revive negotiations in the months that followed, with senior civilian and military officials holding repeated contacts with both sides. Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir has made several visits to Iran as part of Islamabad’s mediation effort, with his latest discussions with Iranian leaders focusing on attempts to revive negotiations.

Tehran, however, has insisted that Washington meet a series of conditions before substantive talks resume, including demands relating to sanctions, Iranian ports, oil exports and regional hostilities. During Munir’s latest visit, Iran again outlined conditions for returning to talks with the United States, leaving the two sides divided not only over the terms of a settlement but also over which side must move first.

The diplomatic push has continued even as the military confrontation persists. At talks in Istanbul this week, Pakistan and its R4 partners urged a diplomatic resolution of the Iran conflict and backed renewed efforts to prevent another escalation.

After almost eight months of fighting, neither the military campaign nor repeated diplomatic initiatives have produced a lasting settlement, leaving Trump’s threat of “another little Epic Fury” hanging over an already fragile negotiating process.