What They’re Saying About Operation Epic Fury—April 16, 2026
U.S.
President Donald Trump | Truth Social
“I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel. These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST. On Tuesday, the two Countries met for the first time in 34 years here in Washington, D.C., with our Great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. I have directed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Razin' Caine, to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a Lasting PEACE. It has been my Honor to solve 9 Wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let's, GET IT DONE!”
President Donald Trump | Truth Social
“In addition to the statement just issued, I will be inviting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, to the White House for the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983, a very long time ago. Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly!”
President Donald Trump | Remarks to Journalists
“If there’s no deal, fighting resumes.”
President Donald Trump | Remarks to Journalists
“We have a statement, a very powerful statement, that they [the Iranian regime] will not have—beyond 20 years—that they will not have nuclear weapons. There’s no 20-year limit.”
President Donald Trump | Remarks to Journalists
“Very important is that Iran not have a nuclear weapon. And they’ve agreed to that. . . . They’ve agreed to give us back the nuclear dust that’s way underground . . . We have a lot of agreements with Iran and I think something’s going to happen very positive.”
President Donald Trump | Remarks to Journalists
“[T]he blockade has been incredible. It’s been, it's held, and [the Iranian regime is] not doing any business. They’re unable to do any business because of the blockade. And so the combination of having no navy, having no air force, having no anti-aircraft equipment—they have nothing. Everything is gone, including their leaders. Now they have a new set of leaders, and we find them very reasonable.”
President Donald Trump | Remarks to Journalists
“I could make a little deal, but I don’t want to do that. I want to get it done . . . We had to do something. We had to make sure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.”
President Donald Trump | Remarks to Journalists
“We have a very good relationship with Iran right now, as hard as it is to believe. And I think it’s a combination of about 4 weeks of bombing, and a very powerful blockade.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth | X
“Message to Iranian military leadership during press conference: ‘We are watching you. Our capabilities are not the same—our military and yours. Remember, this is NOT A FAIR FIGHT. We know what military assets you are moving and where you are moving them. While you are digging out of bombed-out and devastated facilities—WE ARE ONLY GETTING STRONGER… We are LOCKED AND LOADED—on your critical dual-use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation, and on your energy industry. We would rather not have to do it, but we are ready to go at the command of our president and at the push of a button.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth | X
“At the direction of President Trump, the Department of War will ensure that Iran will NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON—NEVER."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth | X
“Other allies have TALKED A LOT and haven't done ANYTHING... When shots were fired and those countries were needed the most—they weren’t there.”
“U.S. forces are focused, vigilant, and highly motivated as they execute a blockade on vessels attempting to enter or exit Iranian ports. After 72 hours of enforcement, 14 vessels have turned around to comply with the blockade at the direction of American forces.”
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark | X
“Today, @HouseDemocrats will put another War Powers Resolution on the floor. 13 troops have died. Costs are skyrocketing. Donald Trump is increasingly unhinged. Enough is enough. Republicans need to vote YES and stop this reckless war.”
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton | X
“The United States military’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is costing Iran hundreds of millions of dollars every day. Iran’s economy is on the ropes, and the regime is running out of time.”
Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner | X
“Regime change? Not really. Iranian navy destroyed? No. All nuclear capabilities ended? Also no. We’ve spent billions on a war that’s taken American lives and achieved none of its goals.”
Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner | X
“The U.S. has spent millions per interceptor to take down Iranian drones that barely cost $50,000. Trump was so ill-prepared that we’ve now burnt through critical munitions stockpiles. What next? How do we get out of this war?”
“While I appreciate every effort to bring peace through diplomacy in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon, we have to be realistic about the situation on the ground. The last thing we need to do in the name of peace is throw Hezbollah a lifeline by restricting Israel’s ability to attack this terrorist organization. Hezbollah is constantly attacking the state of Israel because they want to annihilate them. Hezbollah’s goal is not peaceful existence with Israel. Hezbollah’s goal is the utter destruction of the one and only Jewish state. The Lebanese military has been woefully inadequate in credibly disarming Hezbollah. The political resolve by the Lebanese government regarding Hezbollah has been very uneven. I will not support any agreement regarding peace in Lebanon that fails to convince me that it will result in the disarmament and demise of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. They are a threat to the United States, Israel and the region. I look forward to reviewing any peace plan to see if it accomplishes this basic task. Any plan needs to be submitted to Congress, the same position I took in previous administrations.”
“One of the most brilliant moves in the history of warfare is @POTUS using the U.S. Navy – the greatest navy on the planet – to blockade all Iranian ports so they can’t sell oil or gas. The U.S. Navy is executing the blockade flawlessly. President Trump’s bold move has brought oil prices down and further weakened the regime’s economy, where inflation has reached 180%.”
IRAN
Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i | X
“Today, not only is the management and control of the Strait of Hormuz in the hands of our armed forces, but the initiative in the imposed war is also with us.”
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf | X
“The completion and consolidation of a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon will be the result of the steadfastness and struggle of the esteemed Hezbollah and its heroic deeds, and the unity of the Axis of Resistance. And the United States must commit to the agreement. The Resistance and Iran are one and the same entity, whether in war or in a ceasefire. America must back down from the mistake of ‘Israel first.’”
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf | X
“As I said last night as well, the ceasefire was nothing but a result of Hezbollah’s steadfastness and the unity of the Axis of Resistance; and we will deal with this ceasefire with caution, and we will remain together until the full realization of victory.”
Mohsen Rezaei, Military Adviser to the Supreme Leader | Remarks on State TV
“’Mr Trump wants to become the police of the Strait of Hormuz. Is this really your job? Is this the job of a powerful army like the US?’ Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander-in-chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards who was named as a military adviser by Khamenei last month, tells state TV. ‘These ships of yours will be sunk by our first missiles and have created a great danger for the US military. They can definitely be exposed to our missiles and we can destroy them’ . . . Rezaei says it would be ‘great’ if the United States launched a ground invasion of Iran as ‘we would take thousands of hostages and then for each hostage we would get a billion dollars.’”
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei | X
“It is utterly abominable how policies that deliberately inflict pain and suffering on innocent people are presented with smug self-righteousness. This only reveals an inhumane mindset behind them. These are nothing short of economic terrorism and state-sponsored extortion — actions that amount to crimes against humanity and, in their cumulative effect, constitute genocide.”
LEBANON
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam | X
“I welcome the announcement of the ceasefire declared by President Trump, which is a central Lebanese demand we have pursued since the first day of the war, and was our primary goal in the Washington meeting on Tuesday. As I congratulate all Lebanese on this achievement, I pray for the martyrs who fell, and affirm my solidarity with their families, with the wounded, and with the citizens who were forced to flee their cities and villages, and I hold full hope that they will be able to return to them as soon as possible.”
EUROPE
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen | X
“I extended our full solidarity to the Gulf Cooperation Council and its members @GCCSG @jasemalbudaiwi as they face unprovoked attacks from Iran. Recent events demonstrate very clearly why Iran should never have nuclear weapons.”
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