U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed that the U.S. military operation in Iran "is over" and that the U.S. has fulfilled all its objectives, which means the U.S. has won successfully.
On Wednesday, 3 Jun 2026 GMT+7, Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, confirmed during testimony before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee that the war with Iran "has ended," adding that the U.S. has achieved "victory."
In a heated exchange with Democratic Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, Rubio faced intense pressure over his earlier assessment that the U.S. operation "Epic Fury" in Iran had concluded. Congresswoman Jacobs questioned, "If the war is over, then who won?"
Rubio, who refused to label the U.S. military strikes as a "war," stated that the end of the military operation is a "fact."
"We are no longer conducting ongoing strikes inside Iran to degrade their military capabilities because the Epic Fury operation has ended," Rubio said.
"Secondly, regarding who won, I can tell you we define victory as destroying their defense industrial base, significantly reducing the number of missile launchers they possess, significantly depleting their drone stockpiles, and we have achieved all those goals, in addition to destroying their remaining air force and wiping out their naval forces according to their doctrines."
"Those are gone," Rubio claimed. "Therefore, I consider that a victory, and we agree on that. That is the purpose of the Epic Fury operation."
Rubio was questioned about intelligence assessments indicating that Iran is rebuilding its military industrial base faster than expected, as well as concerns about U.S. casualties and the survival of the Iranian regime. "Does this look like a win or a loss to you?" Congresswoman Jacobs asked.
Rubio claimed he was unaware of those intelligence assessments and argued that "people often distort intelligence data and analysis to craft the narratives they want," adding that the Iranian regime is "deeply divided" and that Iran's economy is faltering.
However, Congresswoman Jacobs responded, "The American people are not naive, Mr. Secretary. We all know this war is not over."
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Source:cnn