Rubio Declares US-Iran War Over and Victory Achieved as Iran Continues Strikes, Blocks Strait of Hormuz, and Rejects Nuclear Demands

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday that the United States had ended sustained strikes inside Iran because Operation Epic Fury is over. "We're no longer conducting sustained strikes inside of Iran to degrade their military, because Epic Fury is over," Rubio said, asserting that the United States had secured victory.

The US-Israeli war, which Washington dubbed Operation Epic Fury, began with the first strikes on Iran on February 28 and has since engulfed the entire Middle East.

Rubio defined victory as destroying Iran's defense industrial base, reducing its missile launchers and drone stockpile, destroying what remained of its air force, and wiping out its entire conventional navy. Iran responded to the campaign by targeting US allies in the region and effectively blocking the Strait of Hormuz, the key shipping channel for Gulf oil and gas.

On the same day Rubio spoke, Iran struck Kuwait's airport, killing one person and wounding 63.

Bahrain, which like Kuwait hosts a significant US military presence, also experienced overnight drone strikes from Iran. Representative Sara Jacobs of California challenged Rubio during the hearing. "You can change the name of the operation.

It doesn't change the fact that the Strait's still closed, and my service members, and all of our service members, are still in harm's way," she said. Rubio updated the committee on negotiations with Iran, stating that the Islamic republic's highly enriched uranium stockpiles are at the center of discussions and that Tehran has not yet agreed to a peace deal.

Washington insists Iran must turn over its near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, agree to curb its nuclear activities, and re-open the Strait of Hormuz for any peace agreement.

Still don't have final sign off from their system as of this morning," Rubio told the committee. Iran has said it needs the release of $12 billion in frozen assets before engaging in substantive talks on its nuclear program. Iran also dismissed earlier comments by US President Donald Trump suggesting that its stockpile of enriched uranium would be destroyed.

Al-Monitor reported the statements and events from the June 3 hearing.