What They’re Saying About Operation Epic Fury—March 3, 2026
U.S.
President Donald Trump | Politico
“They’re running out [of missiles] and they’re running out of areas to shoot them, because they’re being decimated. They’re running out of launchers. . . . 49 [senior Iranian leaders] were killed, don’t forget, so that goes pretty deep, right? New ones are emerging. A lot of people want the job [of supreme leader]. Some of them would be very good.”
President Donald Trump | Times of Israel
“[Iran’s] air defense, Air Force, Navy, and Leadership is gone. They want to talk. I said ‘Too Late!’”
President Donald Trump | Roll Call
“Well, most of the people we had in mind [that could succeed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei] are dead. So, you know, we had some in mind from that group that is dead. And, now, we have another group. They may be dead also, based on reports. So I guess you have a third wave [of airstrikes] coming in pretty soon. We’re not going to know anybody . . . The leader of the pack is gone. . . . “We haven’t been thinking . . . too much about [who would lead the Iran after the war]. It would seem to me that somebody from within, maybe, would be more appropriate. But it would seem to me that somebody that’s there that’s currently popular, if there’s such a person. But we have people like that.”
President Donald Trump | Roll Call
“I might have forced their hand. You see, we were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first. They were going to attack . . . And I didn’t want that to happen. So, if anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand. But Israel was ready, and we were ready, and we’ve had a very, very powerful impact, because virtually everything they have has been knocked out.”
“They're just evil. It turns out it's [the number of Iranians killed by the regime during protests in January] much more than 35,000 people—and in some cases, they're using machine guns against people who have no weapons. It’s just a very evil ideology.”
Vice President JD Vance | Times of Israel
“We set [Iran] back substantially [during the 2025 conflict], but I think the president was looking for the long haul. He was looking for Iran to make a significant long-term commitment that they would never build a nuclear weapon . . . [Trump then realized that achieving his aim] would require, fundamentally, a change in mindset from the Iranian regime. He saw that the Iranian regime was weakened, he knew that they were committed to getting on that brink of a nuclear weapon, and he decided to take action because he felt that was necessary in order to protect the nation’s security. . . . There’s just no way that Donald Trump is going to allow this country to get into a multi-year conflict with no clear end in sight and no clear objective”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Roll Call
“It was abundantly clear that if Iran came under attack by anyone, the United States or Israel or anyone, they were going to respond, and respond against the United States. We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.”
“U.S. forces have destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields during sustained operations. We will continue to take decisive action against imminent threats posed by the Iranian regime.”
“The Iranian regime is using mobile launchers to indiscriminately fire missiles in an attempt to inflict maximum harm across the region. U.S. forces are hunting these threats down and without apology or hesitation, we are taking them out.”
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff | Times of Israel
“In that first meeting, both the Iranian negotiators said to us directly—with no shame—that they controlled 460 kilograms of 60% [enriched uranium] and that they’re aware that could make 11 nuclear bombs. . . . [The Iranians] were proud that they had evaded all sorts of oversight protocols to get to a place where they could deliver 11 nuclear bombs. . . . [They also boasted of having] “an inalienable right” [to enrich uranium] . . . We responded that the president feels we have the inalienable right to stop you dead in your tracks. . . . We went in there and tried to make a fair deal with them, and it was very, very clear that it was going to be impossible—probably by the end of the second meeting, but we then went back for the third meeting just to give it the last college try.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson | X
“Operation Epic Fury was a defensive and decisive action taken to counter the imminent threat posed by Iran’s aggression toward American troops, citizens, installations, and assets. Our intelligence confirmed that inaction would have resulted in dire consequences. We continue to pray for our troops while they carry out this limited but critical mission.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries | X
“Republicans have plunged America into a dangerous and deadly FOREVER WAR in the Middle East. We should be addressing the affordability crisis. The extremists would rather spend billions to bomb Iran. Enough.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer | X
“Trump: The goal for Iran is regime change. Hegseth: This is not a so-called regime change war.
Rubio: This is about crippling Iran’s missiles. It was ‘defensive.’ Then it was ‘preemptive.’ Which is it? People don’t want another aimless war of choice in the Middle East. Americans want leadership focused on lowering costs here at home.”
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso | Sen. Barrasso’s Website
“Operation Epic Fury was President Trump’s commitment to protect our nation. Today, Ayatollah Khamenei is dead. His senior leadership team is dead. His reign of terror is over. Iran’s vast missile arsenal is being dismantled. Its nuclear program has been demolished. Its tentacles of terror are being severed. America is safer. Israel is safer. The Middle East is safer. The world is safer. This is American peace through strength.”
“Iran has been an imminent threat to the United States for 47 years. The president was right to act.”
“Every member in the U.S. Senate agrees we cannot allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. I’m baffled why so many are unwilling to support the only action to achieve that. Empty sloganeering vs. commitment to global security—which is it?”
Rep. Warren Davidson | The Hill
“I had asked for a classified briefing last week before the war began, to explain what is the mission— define the mission in Iran. And we‘re seeing that today with multiple definitions.”
IRAN
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei | Times of Israel
“It would be an act of war [for Germany, France, and the U.K. to help destroy Iran’s missile capacity]. Any such act against Iran would be regarded as complicity with the aggressors. It would be regarded as an act of war against Iran.”
ISRAEL
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu | Times of Israel
“I hear people are telling you [Americans] that you’re going to have an endless war here—You’re not going to have an endless war because . . . this terror regime in Iran is at its weakest point [since its founding] . . . This is going to be a quick and decisive action.”
GULF STATES
UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Foreign Ministry Website
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) summoned His Excellency Reza Ameri, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Arab Emirates, and delivered a strongly worded note of protest, conveying the UAE’s condemnation in the strongest terms of Iran’s terrorist attacks and assaults. The Ministry stressed that the targeting of the UAE’s territory constitutes a blatant violation of its sovereignty, a threat to its national security, and a clear breach of all international conventions, resolutions, and established norms.”
Anwar Gargash, Senior Adviser to the UAE’s President | X
“Iran’s aggression against the Gulf states missed its target and isolated Iran at its critical moment. Your war is not with your neighbors, and through this escalation, you confirm the narrative of those who see Iran as the region’s primary source of danger, and its missile program as a perpetual title for instability. Return to your senses, to your surroundings, and deal with your neighbors with reason and responsibility before the circle of isolation and escalation widens.”
Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Majed al-Ansari | Al Jazeera
“Qatar was surprised by these unjustified attacks [by Iran]. There were attempts to attack Hamad International Airport. They were all thwarted. . . . The missiles were downed by our defensive measures, and none of them reached the airport.”
Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Majed al-Ansari | X
“Qatar has not been part of the campaign targeting Iran. We are exercising our right in self-defense and deterring Iranian attacks against our country.”
Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs | X
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its rejection and condemnation in the strongest terms of the flagrant Iranian attack that targeted the U.S. Embassy building in Riyadh.”
Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs | X
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the State of Kuwait's rejection and condemnation in the strongest terms of the treacherous Iranian attack that targeted the building of the Embassy of the United States of America in the State of Kuwait, considering it an act that constitutes a flagrant violation of all international norms and laws, including the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Vienna Convention of 1961 on Diplomatic Relations, which grant immunity to diplomatic buildings and their staff even in cases of armed conflict.”
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi | X
“ . . . Oman reaffirms its call for an immediate ceasefire and a return to responsible regional diplomacy. There are off ramps available. Let’s use them.”
JORDAN
Jordanian Foreign Ministry | X
“Jordan strongly condemns in the strongest terms the two Iranian attacks that targeted the buildings of the United States Embassies in the sister Arab Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in the sister State of Kuwait; a flagrant violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Vienna Convention of 1961 on Diplomatic Relations, which grant immunity to the premises of diplomatic missions and the personnel working in them.”
TURKEY
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | X
“We are never neutral on issues that concern our region and humanity. We are not neutral in the face of events that disturb the peace of our brothers and sisters and our neighbours. We are not neutral on issues that threaten the future of the entire world.”
EUROPE
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz | Bloomberg
“We [Merz and President Trump] are on the same page in terms of getting this terrible regime in Iran away. We will talk about the day after, what will happen then, if they are out.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz | Politico
“We are supporting the United States and Israel to get rid of this terrible terrorist regime. This is important not just for the Americans. This is extremely important for Europe.”
“As the situation in the Middle East remains volatile, we are deploying our Type-45 Destroyer, HMS Dragon, to the Eastern Mediterranean. We are also sending two Wildcat helicopters to Cyprus to bolster drone defence for our Cypriot partners. Working alongside our allies, our Armed Forces are committed to protecting regional stability and keeping people safe.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot | Reuters
“French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot held a call on Monday with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to discuss the Iran war and both agreed to work on de-escalation, Barrot's office said in a statement. Barrot ‘reiterated the Iranian regime’s responsibility for the ongoing escalation, after it unjustifiably attacked several countries in the region,’ the statement said.
VENEZUELA
Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez | X
“I spoke by telephone with His Highness the Emir of the State of Qatar, to whom I conveyed our solidarity in the face of the serious situation of instability and violence that has erupted in the Middle East, which has placed the entire region on the brink of a dangerous escalation of war.”
RUSSIA & UKRAINE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy | X
“Today I spoke with leaders of countries currently under attack from Iran—the President of the United Arab Emirates and the Amir of Qatar. We will continue this diplomatic engagement with the broader Middle East and Gulf region. Ukraine stands in solidarity with all those who are resisting the spread of war and violence. . . . At the level of our teams—the Ukrainian team, the teams of the Emirates and Qatar, and other states—we will determine how, together, we can provide stronger protection for life. Ukraine’s expertise in countering ‘shahed’ drones is currently the most advanced in the world, and these drones represent the primary challenge in that region as well.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov | Reuters
“Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Brunei's foreign minister during talks in Moscow: ‘We still see no evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons, which was the main, if not the only, justification for the war.’”
CHINA
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning | Bloomberg
“China urges all parties to immediately cease military operations, avoid escalating tensions and safeguard the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Receive Iran News in Your Inbox.
Eye on Iran is a news summary from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a section 501(c)(3) organization. Eye on Iran is available to subscribers on a daily basis or weekly basis.