Even though U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged fire this week near Kharg Island and the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio considers the Iran war to have ended.
“Those are hostilities,” Rubio said. “We're no longer conducting sustained strikes inside of Iran to degrade their military because Epic Fury is over."
The hostilities that occurred on Saturday and Sunday include the U.S. bombing radar and drone sites around the city of Geruk in Iran and on Qeshm Island after Tehran shot down an American drone.
Iran then launched a strike of its own, and Kuwait reported incoming fire, according to the U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM).
When asked whether the United States had won the war, Rubio said Operation Epic Fury had achieved its purpose.
“We define victory as destroying their defense industrial base, significantly reducing the number of missile launches that they possess, significantly reducing their stockpile of drones, and we achieved all of those in addition to destroying what they had left of an Air Force and wiping out their entire conventional navy,” he said. "I consider that victory."
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) pushed back by saying the Iran war is not over and that the American people are not stupid.
Jacobs' 51st congressional district spans El Cajon, La Mesa, and Lemon Grove in San Diego County.
"Mr. Secretary, we all know that this war is not over," Jacobs said at the hearing. "We still have not reached a deal despite the president's promise that a deal is right around the corner. The president even said today the blockade could last until Labor Day. It's now day 97 of the war that the president said he wanted to end quickly."
Operation Epic Fury stems from Trump pre-emptively striking Iran on Feb. 28, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Israeli Defense Forces.
Since then, a new military operation called Project Freedom was launched to end Iran’s tolling system, and prevent potential shortages of energy worldwide.
Rubio blamed the lack of a deal on Iran negotiators.
“They can't even reach agreements that they can get back to us,” Rubio said. "What they have is people who are afraid to go into the streets. The fact is they've cut off the internet. This is a country right now and this regime that is facing hyperinflation, a completely devalued currency, [and] hundreds of billions of dollars in damage to their military infrastructure.”
The Strait is bordered by Iran, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Iran’s state-affiliated outlet Tasnim News Agency reported Monday that Iran will stop exchanging messages with the United States through intermediaries and accused the Trump administration of ceasefire violations.