WH confirms new timeline for Iran operation to achieve objectives: 'Expected to last 4 to 6 weeks'

WASHINGTON, DC: The White House has updated its timeline for ‘Operation Epic Fury’ in Iran, signaling that the "achievable objectives" of the military campaign are now expected to last between four and six weeks. 

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized that the US is "well on our way" to finishing the mission, which the administration describes as a necessary response to long-standing threats.

Leavitt briefs press on expected timeline of 'Operation Epic Fury'

During a press gaggle on Friday, March 6, Karoline Leavitt provided new details on how long the administration expects the conflict to continue.

While she was careful to note she wouldn’t “get ahead of the president on broadcasting any timelines,” she added a week to the window President Trump had previously suggested.

This follows comments President Trump made on Monday, where he stated, “We projected four to five weeks. But we have capability to go far longer than that.”

Leavitt clarified the administration's current stance by aligning her comments with the President's prior directives while acknowledging the evolving nature of the mission. 

“What I will tell you is what the president has already laid out,” Leavitt told reporters. “The achievable objectives of 'Operation Epic Fury' we expect to last 4 to 6 weeks and are well on our way to achieving those objectives.”

Leavitt says Iranian missile strikes now down to 90%

The briefing highlighted major losses for Iran’s military just six days into the operation, specifically regarding its naval and missile strength. 

Regarding the goal of “Annihilating Iran’s navy,” Leavitt reported that “we have sunk more than 30 vessels and ships. Their navy is now deemed combat ineffective.” 

She further emphasized the progress made in “taking out the ballistic missile threat that Iran posed to the United States and our troops and bases in the region,” noting that “the United States military has done a tremendous job at achieving that objective, thus far. Just six days in, the retaliatory ballistic missile strikes from Iran are now down 90%.”

Leavitt deliberates on goal that is to remove Iranian threat

Furthermore, Leavitt reiterated President Trump's commitment to “ensuring Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon, as well, and significantly weakening their proxies in the region, which we know are responsible for the deaths of Americans.”

She observed that the administration has already seen “Hezbollah and the Houthis hardly putting up a fight over the course of the last six days.”

Ultimately, she stated that the President's goal is to permanently remove the threat Iran poses to the US, adding that he “wants to take an interest in pursuing who the next leader of the Iranian country is going to be, and that has yet to be seen, and the president is discussing it and deliberating it.”