Eight months into a war that has already scattered death and displacement across the Middle East, an American president now dangles the prospect of yet another strike, offering no particulars and leaving the world to guess at its shape. The words were spoken at a Florida rally, where the cost of fuel has become a quiet weight on the minds of voters ahead of the midterms, and the conflict's economic tremors are reaching far beyond the battlefield. Abroad, the warnings of Paris and others suggest a shared unease that escalation could leave no victor, only higher oil prices and deeper suffering.
Trump Says US May Launch Another 'Little Epic Fury' Operation Against Iran
US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions.
"We may do another little Epic Fury," he said, and offered no details.
Mark
Trump said the US may do "another little Epic Fury." What actually happened there?
Mimi
It was a remark at a Florida rally. He said the US may carry out another operation against Iran, and he didn't elaborate. Epic Fury is the military's name for the whole war, now nearly eight months old.
Luke
So it's a possibility, not an announcement. No target, no timeline, nothing about scale. "Little" is his word, and we don't know what it means in practice.
Mark
Why does the timing matter?
Mimi
Fuel prices are weighing on the midterms. And earlier Friday he said the US could end the war quickly, but wondered whether to rush or let it wind down.
Luke
Those two statements pull in different directions. The reporting links the pricing pressure to the politics, but it doesn't tell us whether that pressure is shaping his decisions.
Mark
How did others respond?
Mimi
France's foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot, speaking in Istanbul after meeting counterparts from seven countries, said escalation would leave no winners and could hit hydrocarbon prices.
Luke
That's a warning about consequences, not a report of any planned action. Worth keeping separate.
Mark
And Russia's role?
Mimi
Pezeshkian goes to Moscow next week to meet Putin, following Lavrov's visit to Tehran. Putin has also passed Tehran's position to Trump.
Luke
But nobody has said what that message contained or how Washington answered. "Intermediary" is the reporting's reading of the signs, not a confirmed mediation.
Il Polso
- A single offhand remark at a Florida rally has rattled markets and capitals by hinting at another military operation against Iran with no details attached.
- Fuel prices are pressing on American households and midterm campaigns, turning a distant war into a domestic political burden.
- France and its partners are urging restraint, warning that renewed fighting would produce no winners and could send oil prices climbing further.
- Iran's president is heading to Moscow next week to meet Putin, as Russia seeks to act both as Tehran's ally and as a possible intermediary.
- Nuclear talks with Washington are deadlocked over commitments and their sequence, leaving the path out of the war uncertain and the next move unclear.
Eight months into a war that has already scattered death and displacement across the Middle East, an American president now dangles the prospect of yet another strike, offering no particulars and leaving the world to guess at its shape. The words were spoken at a Florida rally, where the cost of fuel has become a quiet weight on the minds of voters ahead of the midterms, and the conflict's economic tremors are reaching far beyond the battlefield. Abroad, the warnings of Paris and others suggest a shared unease that escalation could leave no victor, only higher oil prices and deeper suffering. In the meantime, Moscow positions itself as Tehran's friend and perhaps a bridge to Washington, while the nuclear questions that might end this war remain locked in place.
At a rally in Florida, President Donald Trump told the crowd the United States "may do another little Epic Fury" against Iran. He offered no details of what it would involve, when it might come, or what it would strike. Epic Fury is the military's name for a war now approaching its eighth month, and the words landed in a country where rising fuel prices are already weighing on the midterm elections.
The human toll behind the rhetoric is grave. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. Earlier in the day Trump had suggested the war could end quickly, though he appeared unsure whether to seek a swift finish or let the conflict fade slowly.
Abroad, the response was wary. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, after meeting counterparts from several countries in Istanbul, warned that further escalation would leave no winners and could drive hydrocarbon prices sharply upward.
Diplomacy remains stalled over Iran's nuclear program and over the order in which each side would take its promised steps. Into that gap Russia is stepping. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week, a visit announced by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi after talks with Sergei Lavrov in Tehran. Araghchi said the two countries had never worked as closely, and Putin has said Moscow is ready to help resolve the crisis and has already passed Tehran's position to Trump. What Washington has said in return remains unknown. The coming meeting, and whether the president's vague threat becomes action, will shape what comes next.
At a rally in Florida, President Donald Trump told the crowd that the United States "may do another little Epic Fury" against Iran. He gave no details about what that would involve, when it might happen, or what it would target. Epic Fury is the name the US military uses for its war against Iran, a conflict now approaching its eighth month.
The remark came amid pressure at home. Rising fuel prices are weighing on the US midterm elections, and the war's economic effects have become part of the political backdrop. Earlier on Friday, Trump had said the US could end the war quickly, but he questioned whether Washington should pursue a swift conclusion or let the conflict wind down gradually.
The human toll is large. US-Israeli strikes on Iran, together with Israeli attacks on Lebanon, have killed thousands of people and displaced millions.
Abroad, the reaction to the prospect of renewed escalation was cautious. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke to reporters in Istanbul after meeting counterparts from Britain, Germany, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. A further escalation between Iran and the United States, he said, would leave no winners and would likely have very serious consequences for hydrocarbon prices.
Diplomacy, meanwhile, is stuck. Efforts to settle matters remain deadlocked over Iran's nuclear program and over the sequencing of commitments, meaning who is to do what, and in what order.
Russia is working to place itself in the middle. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will travel to Russia next week to meet President Vladimir Putin. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the trip on Instagram, saying it would follow up on talks held during Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to Tehran earlier this week. In his words, the discussions and consultations would continue in Moscow with both presidents taking part.
Araghchi said he had held extensive talks with Lavrov on bilateral relations and major regional and international issues. They focused on expanding political and economic co-operation, implementing existing agreements and strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership between Tehran and Moscow. In Tehran on Tuesday, he said the two countries had "never" worked as closely as they do now, and Lavrov described Iran's cause as "just".
Earlier this month, Putin said Russia was prepared to do everything it could to help resolve the crisis, and he then conveyed Tehran's position to Trump. Neither the content of that message nor Washington's response has been made public. The signs point to Moscow acting as both an ally of Tehran and a possible go-between with Washington.
What to watch next is the Pezeshkian-Putin meeting in Moscow, and whether Trump's offhand remark about another operation turns into anything concrete while the nuclear talks remain at an impasse.
Citazioni salienti
A further escalation between Iran and the United States would leave no winners and would likely have very serious consequences for hydrocarbon prices.— Jean-Noel Barrot, French foreign minister
We may do another little Epic Fury.— President Donald Trump, at a Florida rally
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War & Conflict