Pentagon Suspends Use of ‘Operation Epic Fury’ Name for Iran Campaign

CBS News, citing an internal U.S. Air Force email from August, reported that the Pentagon has instructed personnel to stop referring to ongoing military activities in Iran as 'Operation Epic Fury.' The directive was issued approximately three months after the Trump administration declared the operation officially concluded. Pentagon officials confirmed to CBS that the operation ended on May 5, the same day Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the phase had concluded and the U.S. was transitioning to 'Project Liberty.' A defense official stated that subsequent activities have included freedom of navigation operations and strikes aimed at mitigating threats from the IRGC to commercial shipping and U.S. forces. This development deviates from the U.S. military's historical practice of establishing and publishing clear start and end dates for named operations, which serves to create public records for Congressional oversight and determine eligibility for military decorations. Currently, the classification of recent U.S. military strikes in Iran remains unclear, raising questions regarding the status of service members killed or wounded after the operation's formal end. President Donald Trump had officially notified Congress on July 7 of the resumption of military activity against Iran following the collapse of talks and the end of the April ceasefire.