What They’re Saying About Operation Epic Fury—March 31, 2026
U.S.
President Donald Trump | Truth Social
“All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT. You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!”
“Day by day, Iranian morale and military capabilities are dwindling. Operation Epic Fury is fought on our terms.”
Central Command Spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins | X
“During a visit to Israel, March 29-30, CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper met with Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir. The two leaders discussed progress made during ongoing operations to eliminate Iran’s ability to project power in meaningful ways outside its borders. They also reaffirmed the strength of the U.S.-Israel defense partnership and emphasized the importance of continued coordination. Prior to departing the region, Cooper visited with U.S. troops deployed to multiple locations in support of Operation Epic Fury. He recognized more than 40 service members with medals for their exceptional performance during the first weeks of the operation.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth | X
“If Iran is wise, they will cut a deal. President Trump does not bluff and does not back down—you can ask Khamenei about that. The new Iranian regime should know that by now. This new regime—because regime change has occurred—should be wiser than the last. President Trump will make a deal; he is willing. And the terms of the deal are known to them. If Iran is not willing, then the United States War Department will continue—with even more intensity.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth | X
“President Trump is doing what no other president had the guts to do. Previous Presidents were all talk—he’s all action. On the battlefield—because of the latitude the President has given us—American firepower is only increasing. Iran’s is decreasing.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth | X
“Admiral Cooper noted this morning that the three Air Force captains who were shot down by Kuwaiti friendly fire early in the fight never left the theater. All dropped bombs over Tehran last night.”
“President Trump is spot on by encouraging our European allies to take control of their own destiny regarding energy. Irrational climate policies, decommissioning nuclear power plants and refusing to responsibly drill for oil and gas have caught up to the Europeans. We’re not going to let that happen here. Can you imagine how the Iranian regime would terrorize the world if they had nuclear weapons? They were incredibly so close. Thank God President Trump acted in the nick of time. It is now clear the Obama-Biden-European approach to containing Iran’s missile and nuclear program was a miserable failure. The long range missiles being fired were able to hit European capitals. As President Trump suggested, stop complaining and take action regarding the Strait of Hormuz and otherwise.”
“Every day the war in Iran continues, thousands of Americans are put at risk, gas prices rise, and tax dollars are wasted.”
“NATO's long-term success depends on its members' cooperation against shared threats. European allies have known that Iran can cause chaos in the Strait of Hormuz. What they need to do is act and show they are committed to the alliance as much as they pay it lip service.”
“Gas is over $4 a gallon. Donald Trump’s reckless war of choice is making your life more expensive. You deserve better.”
ISRAEL
President Benjamin Netanyahu | X
“Iran is weaker than ever. Israel is stronger than ever.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar | X
“A piece of the Iranian cluster missile hit next to the Embassy of Ukraine in a residential neighborhood in Tel Aviv this morning. This demonstrates once again that the regime's strategy is to deliberately increase civilian casualties. It's part of the strategy of war crimes committed by the Iranian terrorist regime. Fortunately, no member of the embassy staff was injured in the attack. In recent days, thousands of drones, many of them Iranian Shahed drones, were launched by Russia against cities in Ukraine. We condemn these attacks and send our solidarity to the people of Ukraine and to all staff of the Embassy in Israel.”
“The Iranian regime fires cluster missiles directed against the civilian population, and in a manner intended to disperse over a wide area, demonstrating their desire to kill and injure as many civilians as possible. This is not accidental. It is intentional. And the world remains silent.”
“Iran’s Islamist regime disrupts global energy - blackmailing ships in the Strait of Hormuz and attacking its neighbors’ infrastructure. Now imagine how this extreme regime would act with the confidence given by an umbrella of nuclear-armed ICBMs and worldwide reach. The US and Israel are acting to prevent that nightmare.”
Israel Defense Forces Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir | X
“Chief of General Staff in Meeting with CENTCOM Commander: ‘In a coordinated and simultaneous action, we will jointly strike the terrorist regime of Iran and bring it to strategic isolation and a point of unprecedented weakness. The axis of terror is collapsing; we will continue to strike it until we achieve our objectives.”
IRAN
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi | X
“The war criminals in Israel are now openly and unashamedly bombing pharmaceutical companies. Their intentions are clear. What they've gotten wrong is that they're not dealing with defenseless Palestinian civilians. Our Powerful Armed Forces will severely punish aggressors.”
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf | X
“I just read about Sarah and others in the U.S. skipping meals because gas prices keep climbing. Sad, but this is what happens when your leaders put others ahead of hard-working and ordinary Americans. It's not America First anymore… it's Israel First.”
President Masoud Pezeshkian | X
“The Iraqi Muslim people stood bravely alongside Iran in this unjust war; this stance is not due to the compulsion of geography, but due to history, identity, and shared religious values.
I warmly shake the hands of the Iraqi people, officials, and fighters in Mesopotamia. I honor your steadfastness and cherish our commitment.”
President Masoud Pezeshkian | Euronews
“We possess the necessary will to end this conflict, provided that essential conditions are met, especially the guarantees required to prevent repetition of the aggression.”
Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Alireza Enayati | X
“The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson: This war is not merely a war against Iran; rather, it may become a source of strife and division in the future. We will not be able to ensure a future based on peace, cooperation, and good neighborliness unless we attend to the present. It is not expected of Iran to unilaterally demonstrate self-restraint in its behavior and positions.”
GULF STATES
Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs | X
“Dr. @majedalansari, Advisor to the Prime Minister and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the weekly media briefing: We are deeply concerned by the escalating attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure, which set a dangerous precedent and cross critical red lines. Qatar calls on all parties to refrain from targeting these vital assets, protect civilians, and end the conflict urgently to safeguard regional stability and global energy and food security.”
Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs | X
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the State of Kuwait's strong condemnation and denunciation of the heinous terrorist plot aimed at carrying out terrorist acts in the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain, as well as the external connections to the Hezbollah organization revealed by the investigations, in an operation targeting the disruption of security and stability. The Ministry commends the efficiency and vigilance of the security apparatus in the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain, and its ability to thwart this plot. The State of Kuwait renews its full support for the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain, reaffirming its categorical rejection of terrorism in all its forms, and its solidarity with the efforts aimed at safeguarding security and stability in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council for the Arab States.”
Kuwait Army General Staff Headquarters | X
“The Armed Forces monitored and responded during the past (24) hours to (5) hostile ballistic missiles and (7) hostile drones within Kuwaiti airspace, and they were dealt with in accordance with established procedures. The Armed Forces affirm their continued performance of national duties with efficiency, under high readiness and constant vigilance, ensuring the protection of the homeland and the preservation of its security and stability.”
“The UAE air defences on 31th March 2026 engaged 8 Ballistic missiles, 4 Cruise missiles and 36 UAV's launched from Iran. Since the start of the blatant Iranian attacks, UAE air defences have engaged 433 ballistic missiles, 19 cruise missiles and 1,977 UAVs. The attacks resulted in the martyrdom of 2 members of the armed forces while performing their national duty, in addition to the martyrdom of a Moroccan civilian contracted by the Armed Forces, as well as 8 fatalities of Pakistani, Nepali, Bangladeshi, Palestinian and Indian nationalities.”
EUROPE
European Council President António Costa | X
“The current situation in the Middle East is extremely dangerous. Today, in my phone call with the President of Iran, @DrPezeshkian, I urged for de-escalation and restraint, the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and the need for all parties to fully respect international law. The loss of innocent lives, including in the Minab school, is deeply regrettable. To de-escalate the situation, I urged Iran to stop the unacceptable attacks on countries in the region and to engage positively on the diplomatic track, notably with the UN to ensure the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. There must be space for diplomacy. The EU stands ready to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and for a lasting solution to end the hostilities, while addressing the broader security concerns posed by Iran.”
Italian Minister of Defence | X
“Someone is trying to get the message across that Italy has decided to suspend the use of bases for U.S. assets. Something that's simply false, because the bases are active, in use, and nothing has changed. The Government continues to do what all Italian Governments have always done in full adherence to the commitments made in Parliament and to the line reiterated in the Supreme Defense Council as well, in continuity with all previous Councils over the decades. International agreements clearly regulate and distinguish what requires specific Government authorization (for which it has been decided to always involve Parliament), without which it is not possible to grant anything, and what is instead considered technically authorized because it is included in the agreements. A minister only has to ensure they are respected. There is no third option. Finally, I want to reiterate that there is no cooling or tension with the U.S., because they know the rules that have governed their presence in Italy since 1954 just as well as we do.”
“While visiting the region, the Defence Secretary has today confirmed that the UK is sending additional air defence support to Gulf partners. The Sky Sabre air defence system will be deployed to Saudi Arabia, the deployment of RAF Typhoon jets in Qatar will be extended, and the UK’s Lightweight Multirole Launcher is now operational in Bahrain, while the Rapid Sentry and ORCUS counter-drone systems are now in Kuwait. RAF Regiment gunners, operating in a high-threat area, successfully downed multiple Iranian drones overnight. UK Typhoons and F-35 jets, together with Wildcat helicopters, have continued their defensive missions overnight, including over Cyprus, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE.”
UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey | X
“My message to Gulf partners during my visit: Britain's best will help you defend your skies. We condemn Iran’s expanding attacks and we stand with our Gulf partners as they work to keep their nations safe.”
RUSSIA & UKRAINE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy | X
“Russia is investing in prolonging conflicts in the Middle East. Wars there make it easier to intensify the war here, in Europe. This was the case after the Hamas attack on Israel. It is also true for the war the Iranian regime is waging to preserve itself. After that war, things must not be worse than before – this is key. And the same applies here in Europe – Russia must not be left in any position that it could see as better than before – not in territory, not in technologies, not in politics. This is essential for peace and Europe.”
EAST ASIA
Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs | X
“Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China H.E. Mr. Wang Yi and Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar met in Beijing on 31 March 2026 to review the situation in the Gulf and Middle East Region. The two sides put forward the following: I. Immediate Cessation of Hostilities. II. Start of peace talks as soon as possible. III. Security of nonmilitary targets. IV. Security of shipping lanes. V. Primacy of the United Nations Charter.”
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