Gen. Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has revealed the nine-word statement President Donald Trump used to order the strikes against Iran.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, was among those killed in the coordinated attacks the U.S. and Israel launched over the weekend. Iran has since launched retaliatory strikes in the region, while U.S. officials confirmed that four service members have been killed, with many more injured.
Trump first authorized “Operation Epic Fury” on Friday afternoon, Caine said at a Monday morning press conference with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“At 15:38, 3:38 p.m., on Friday, February 27, the United States Central Command, through the Secretary of War, received the final go order from President Trump,” Caine said. “The president directed, and I quote, ‘Operation Epic Fury is approved. No aborts. Good luck.’”
Trump was on Air Force One, heading to Corpus Christi, Texas, when he gave the order, CNN reports. Shortly after Trump landed, a reporter asked how close he was to a decision on striking Iran.
“I’d rather not tell you,” the president replied. “You would have had the greatest scoop in history, right?”
At an event later Friday, Trump also suggested he hadn’t made the final call yet, telling the crowd, “We have a big decision to make.”
The military operation, which included more than 100 aircraft launched from land, sea and tankers, began Saturday around 9:45 a.m. local time, Caine confirmed.
Hegseth said the strikes are “not a so-called regime change war,” but noted that the “regime sure did change and the world is better off for it.” He also pushed back on concerns about the conflict leading to an “endless war.”
“To the media outlets and political left screaming ‘endless wars,’ stop. This is not Iraq. This is not endless,” he said. “Our generation knows better and so does this president.”
The assault on Iran is intended to last “four to five weeks,” Trump told The New York Times Sunday.
“It won’t be difficult,” he added. “We have tremendous amounts of ammunition. You know, we have ammunition stored all over the world in different countries.”
When asked about this timeline, Hegseth said Trump has “all the latitude” to say how long the strikes could last.
“I heard the question about four weeks. It’s the typical NBC gotcha-type question. President Trump has all the latitude in the world to talk about how long it may or may not take,” he said.
