Opinion

Operation Epic Fury shattered Iran’s power, but exposed risks America can’t ignore

Friendly-fire incidents and interceptor shortages highlight the need for integrated command systems like IBCS

By David Des Roches , Mark Pfeifle Fox News

Published April 14, 2026 5:00am EDT

Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google

close

Video

Trump threatens Iranian ships as the US imposes blockade on ports

Trey Yingst details CENTCOM's new blockade targeting all Iranian ports in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Rebecca Heinrichs, Hudson Institute senior fellow, analyzes the U.S. strategy following the imposition of the blockade.

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

We write this recently returned from Doha, Qatar, where the background sounds of air raid sirens warning of incoming Iranian missiles have thankfully gone quiet. Civilians are no longer being told to take shelter, and Qatar Airways believes the air space is now safe enough to resume commercial flights.

As Operation Epic Fury moved into its second month, critics reached consensus: Israel and the United States blundered themselves into a war of choice that has caused unnecessary deaths and spiraling oil prices, all against the prospect of yet another deadly American quagmire like Vietnam and Afghanistan. Despite the emerging media narrative back home, on the Gulf we can see that the U.S.-Israeli military strategy worked.

The critics are right that the nation was not adequately prepared for this. Unlike the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the objectives of Operation Epic Fury were never clearly communicated, either to the American people or our allies.

MORNING GLORY: PRESIDENT TRUMP LEADS THE WEST TO A BIG WIN AGAINST IRAN

Nevertheless, Operation Epic Fury, although uneven and far from perfect, was a success.

Video

From a military standpoint, Iran’s arsenal of ballistic missiles has been greatly depleted. More than 8,000 Iranian military targets have been decimated. Much of its nuclear infrastructure and air defenses, its navy and command architecture, all lay in........

© Fox News