Leavitt declares 'Epic Fury' a victory and brands Iran's peace proposal an absurd 'wish list'

'President Trump started Operation Epic Fury with strategic military objectives, and the United States has clearly achieved them', Leavitt said
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Washington (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Washington (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON, DC: In a White House press briefing following the implementation of a ceasefire, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declared a definitive "victory" for the United States, asserting that 'Operation Epic Fury' had achieved its strategic military objectives in record time.

Leavitt took a "victory lap," framing the 38-day campaign as a major defeat for the Iranian regime that had fundamentally altered the security landscape of the Middle East.



According to the White House, the US military had successfully "crushed" Iran’s defense-industrial base and decimated its ability to manufacture weapons used by both the regime and its proxies.

Leavitt emphasized that the operation, which stayed within the president's "four to six week" timeline, had ensured that Iran could no longer effectively arm proxies to "maim and kill Americans and ... the world."

13,000 targets struck in 38 days



Leavitt confirmed that more than 13,000 targets across Iran were struck during the 38-day offensive.

This included over 450 strikes on ballistic missile sites and approximately 800 strikes on drone launching units and storage facilities. As a result, the Iranian Air Force had been grounded, moving from an average of 30 to 100 flights per day to "now, zero!"

Furthermore, Leavitt announced that the Iranian Navy had been "completely annihilated," and the regime's ability to build and stockpile long-range drones had been set back by years compared to the pre-war landscape.

The White House maintains that these core military objectives were not only met but "exceeded," rendering the regime impotent and unable to pursue nuclear weapons or regional aggression for the foreseeable future.

President Trump discards Iranian 'wish list'



Addressing the confusion over the 10-point peace proposal that circulated globally, Leavitt revealed that President Trump "literally threw" the version being reported by several media outlets "in the trash."

She slammed the circulating document as an "Iranian wish list" that was "fundamentally unserious, unacceptable, and completely discarded."

Leavitt clarified that the version spreading like "wildfire" was not the document the president had previously described as a workable basis for negotiations.

"The idea that President Trump would ever accept an Iranian wish list as a deal is completely absurd!" Leavitt told reporters, labeling the widespread reports as "fake news."

She criticized news outlets for reporting that the document was acceptable to the United States.

Core military objectives achieved and exceeded

A man inspects damage at a section of the Iraqi army base in Habbaniyah after it was hit Wednesday by an airstrike, in Anbar province, Iraq, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Jabar)
A man inspects damage at a section of the Iraqi army base in Habbaniyah after it was hit Wednesday by an airstrike, in Anbar province, Iraq, Thursday, March 26, 2026 (AP Photo/Ali Jabar)

Leavitt concluded the briefing by reinforcing that the United States entered the conflict with clear strategic objectives and had emerged with a total victory. 

By wrecking Iran’s ballistic missile production and "annihilating" its naval presence, the US had achieved what the administration described as a permanent shift in power.

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