Operation Epic Fury: The campaign that shook the Middle East and left it in limbo

On the night of February 28, 2026, the Middle East shifted into a different gear. In a televised address just hours after the first bombs fell, President Donald Trump told the world that the United States and Israel had launched major combat operations against Iran dubbed ‘Operation Epic Fury’. He called it a move to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.
The phrase “removing threats” sounded clean in a briefing room. Still, on the ground, it meant a deliberate attempt to dismantle the pillars of Iran’s ability to project force beyond its borders. According to the State Department’s own legal justification filed with the UN Security Council,...