A president who has spoken of ending a war by finishing it again stands once more at the edge of a choice that belongs to someone else's capital. In late October, with American voters weeks from the midterms, Washington is sending mixed signals about whether force or a deal will shape the next chapter with Iran, a country still living with the memory of February's strikes and the death of its former Supreme Leader. Whether the threat hardens into action or dissolves into talk may depend less on the rhetoric itself than on whether Tehran chooses to answer it.
Trump Warns Iran of 'Another Little Epic Fury' as US Envoy Says Strikes Possible This Weekend
The February US-Israeli strikes under Operation Epic Fury killed Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with his family members.
"We may do another little Epic Fury, or they'll agree."
Mark
Trump said "another little Epic Fury." Why does that phrase matter?
Mimi
Because Epic Fury was not small. In February, US and Israeli strikes killed Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his family members. Calling a repeat "little" sets force against a deal.
Mark
And the ambassador's comment came the same day?
Mimi
Yes. Tom Barrack said a strike this weekend was absolutely possible, while also saying Trump is open to a deal after months at the table.
Mark
Then Trump said he knew nothing about it.
Mimi
When a reporter put it to him, he said, "If that's the case, I don't know anything about that." Then at the rally he talked about another Epic Fury.
Luke
Let's be careful about what Barrack's statement carries. He is the point person on Syria and has no direct role in Iran policy. His words are a signal, not confirmation of a plan.
Mark
So is a strike actually planned?
Luke
The reporting doesn't say so. We have one ambassador saying it could happen and the president saying he's unaware. Neither is evidence of an order.
Mimi
Trump's rally line is conditional too: another strike, or they agree. That's a threat, not a schedule.
Mark
Where do the midterms fit?
Luke
The reporter's question assumed Trump had been holding off until after the elections, in the first week of November. The source doesn't confirm that policy, only that the question was asked.
Mimi
What we can watch is whether talks advance before the vote, and whether Iran answers the warnings.
O Pulso
- A campaign-trail warning that a 'little Epic Fury' could follow if Iran refuses to deal has put the region on edge.
- Ambassador Tom Barrack's claim that a strike could come this weekend collided with Trump's later statement that he knew of no such plan.
- Washington's messages are pulling in opposite directions, leaving allies, markets and Tehran guessing which signal is real.
- With the November midterms approaching, the window for talks is narrowing, and the next move rests on whether Iran responds to the threats.
A president who has spoken of ending a war by finishing it again stands once more at the edge of a choice that belongs to someone else's capital. In late October, with American voters weeks from the midterms, Washington is sending mixed signals about whether force or a deal will shape the next chapter with Iran, a country still living with the memory of February's strikes and the death of its former Supreme Leader. Whether the threat hardens into action or dissolves into talk may depend less on the rhetoric itself than on whether Tehran chooses to answer it.
At a campaign rally in Florida on Friday, President Donald Trump told supporters the United States might strike Iran again unless Tehran comes to terms. "We may do another little Epic Fury, or they'll agree," he said, invoking the joint US-Israeli operation of February that killed Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and members of his family. He claimed the earlier campaign had obliterated Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and said he doubted Iranian leaders were smart enough to simply sit down and negotiate.
The warning came on the heels of a sharper one from Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey. Speaking to a podcast host during a Gulf visit, Barrack said a strike could come as early as that weekend, and that the diplomatic door remained open, with Washington "at the table for months and months and months." He is the administration's point person on Syria, however, and holds no direct role in Iran policy.
Trump then distanced himself from the envoy's remarks, asking whether Barrack was really his ambassador and saying he knew nothing about a weekend plan. Within a single day, Washington had offered three versions of its intentions. The timing adds pressure: the threats arrive in the final stretch before the midterm elections in the first week of November, and the open question is whether talks advance before then and how Iran answers.
On Friday, at a campaign rally in Florida, President Donald Trump told a crowd that the United States might strike Iran again if Tehran does not come to terms. "We may do another little Epic Fury, or they'll agree," he said, according to Fox News. He added that a smart Iranian leadership would simply say, "Let's get down to business," but that he doubted they would, because perhaps they are not smart.
The name he used points to a specific event. In February, the US military and Israel jointly struck Iran under an operation called Epic Fury. Those strikes killed Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with members of his family. Trump's phrasing at the rally, a "little" repeat of that operation, framed a new round of force as an alternative to a deal.
He also reached back further. Trump said the US had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity with Operation Midnight Hammer, and that Iran had been defeated militarily, financially and otherwise. "Now we are ensuring it's done," he said.
The rally remarks followed a separate and more specific warning from a member of his own diplomatic corps. Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, said on Friday that a strike on Iran could come as early as this weekend. Speaking to podcast host Mario Nawfal during a visit to the Gulf, Barrack was asked about the prospect. "Could there be a strike this weekend? Absolutely," he said.
Barrack also stressed that the diplomatic door remains open. In his words, Trump is clear that he is available and accessible to a deal, and the US has been "at the table for months and months and months." One caveat matters here: Barrack is the US point person on Syria and has no direct role in Iran policy.
Trump, for his part, said he knew nothing of such a plan. A reporter had put the ambassador's comment to him and asked whether he had abandoned an intention to hold off until after the midterms. Trump replied, "That was my ambassador? He's a pretty powerful man, I guess. If that's the case, I don't know anything about that." So within a single day, the public signals from Washington ran in different directions: an envoy calling a weekend strike absolutely possible, a president saying he was unaware, and then that same president warning of another "Epic Fury" at a rally.
The timing sits against the US midterm elections, scheduled for the first week of November. The reporter's question assumed a prior stance of holding off on action until after the vote, and the warnings are arriving in the final stretch before it. What to watch next is whether negotiations move forward before then, and whether Iran responds to the threats.
Citações Notáveis
We may do another little Epic Fury, or they'll agree.— President Donald Trump, Florida rally
Could there be a strike this weekend? Absolutely.— Tom Barrack, US Ambassador to Turkey
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Politics & Governance