As the and Iran continue to work towards a framework agreement to end the war in the region, US military officials are now mulling officially renaming the war with Iran “Operation Sledgehammer” if the current ceasefire collapses and President decides to restart major combat operations.
Citing two US officials, NBC News on Wednesday reported that discussions regarding possibly replacing “” with “Operation Sledgehammer” highlight how seriously the Trump administration is considering resuming the war, which started in late February. Additionally, it could allow Trump to argue that it restarts the 60-day clock that would require for war.
Trump administration ends Operation Epic Fury?
The Trump administration announced an end to after Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in early April to move forward with diplomatic negotiations. At the time, the administration also informed the US Congress that all hostilities with Iran remained terminated and that the two sides had continued holding the shaky ceasefire. However, the has continued describing the conflict with Iran as Operation Epic Fury, including when providing public updates. Citing one Pentagon official, the report noted that Epic Fury continues and that the ceasefire has simply paused major combat operations.
US Secretary of State told reporters last week that “Operation Epic Fury” is over. During a White House briefing, Rubio noted, “The president notified Congress, we’re done with that stage of it,” and added, “Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation.”
According to a White House official, any new military operation against Tehran would be conducted under a new name and operation, and added that the administration’s point of view is that this would effectively restart the clock with Congress. According to US officials, Operation Sledgehammer is not the only name under consideration.
US-Iran exchange fire
In the last few days, Washington and Tehran have exchanged fire after the Islamic Republic halted ship passage in the , a key waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil transits. This comes at a time when the US president continues to enforce a naval blockade of Iranian ports. According to an official, Trump is weighing several options to reopen the strait and end the standoff, though he remains doubtful that diplomatic talks with Iran will succeed. The official added that the has not ordered the military to resume major combat operations.
The official noted, “The blockade is giving decision space without major combat operations or putting a lot of folks at risk,” and added, “The status quo will not persist.”
Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon: Trump
Trump has consistently maintained that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday, he explained that Tehran’s nuclear weapon programme continues to be a major sticking point and that the ceasefire is now “unbelievably weak.”
“I would call it the weakest right now, after reading the piece of garbage they sent us, I didn’t even finish reading it, they said — I’m not going to waste my time reading it. I would say it’s one of the weakest right now,” Trump said, adding: “I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1% chance of living.’”
On Tuesday, the US president reiterated that Tehran cannot have a and said that he is not worried about the economic impact of the war on Americans. Before departing for his visit to China, Trump was asked to what extent “Americans’ financial situations” were motivating him to make a deal with the Islamic Republic. He responded, “Not even a little bit,” and added, “The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran — they can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about the Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing — we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.”
According to US officials, if Trump decides to launch another bombing campaign, the US military presence in the region is now larger than it was when began in February. Public remarks by Hegseth indicate that the US military has deployed an additional carrier strike group and replaced and rearmed some assets used during the operation’s first two months.
- The Trump administration is seriously considering a military escalation if the ceasefire with Iran collapses.
- Renaming the conflict could legally reset the clock for Congressional approval regarding military operations.
- Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz highlight the ongoing volatility in US-Iran relations.
