Washington — An email from the Air Force dated August, which was acquired by CBS News, reveals that the Pentagon had directed its personnel to avoid referring to ongoing U.S. military actions in Iran as “Operation Epic Fury.” This instruction came three months after the Trump administration announced the operation had concluded.
In response to inquiries from CBS News, the Pentagon clarified on Wednesday that Operation Epic Fury officially ended on May 5. This was the same day Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed reporters at the White House, stating, “The operation is over. Epic Fury is — the president notified Congress — we’ve completed that phase. We’re transitioning to this Project Freedom.” Four days prior, President Trump had formally communicated to Congress that the “hostilities” had ceased.
For several months, both the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command refrained from disclosing a formal conclusion date for the operation. Since the official end of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. and Iran have intermittently exchanged fire, albeit with significant pauses, including during a ceasefire that commenced in early April.
The timing of the directive raises questions concerning how the Pentagon categorizes service members who were injured or killed after the operation was declared over, as well as the delay in issuing guidance about terminology for ongoing military actions against Iran.
In August, as senior U.S. Air Force leaders attended the 2026 Air Force Sergeants Association in Orlando, Florida, top public affairs officers were instructed to advise military leaders against using the term “Operation Epic Fury.” Instead, they were directed to use broader terminology, referring to the conflict as “overseas operations in the [U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility].” This guidance, dated August 7, was disclosed in an email obtained by CBS News.
The Air Force communication indicated that the instruction came from the central public affairs office overseen by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. The email reiterated that any information released regarding the Iran conflict required approval from U.S. Central Command.
Military officials who spoke with CBS News on the condition of anonymity confirmed that this guidance was not limited to the Air Force but was disseminated throughout the entire Defense Department. They also noted that similar guidance had circulated within their respective services during August and September.
A Defense Department spokesperson stated to CBS News, “Following the April ceasefire, the administration announced that Operation Epic Fury concluded on May 5. Subsequent operations have included Freedom of Navigation missions and strikes aimed at reducing threats posed by the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] to commercial shipping, Gulf nations, and U.S. forces.”
Historically, the U.S. military has provided start and end dates for named operations, which serve as a public record of military missions. For instance, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan commenced on October 7, 2001, and concluded on December 31, 2014, transitioning into Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
These dates help establish campaign phases and eligibility for military honors while allowing Congress, service members, and the public to monitor the duration and scope of U.S. military engagements abroad.
Rubio seems to be the only official from the Trump administration to explicitly state that Operation Epic Fury had officially concluded, although he did not specify that the end date was May 5.
On the same day as Rubio’s announcement, Hegseth briefed reporters at the Pentagon, distinguishing between Epic Fury and the newly initiated Project Freedom, which he described as a defensive maritime mission intended to secure commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. He referenced Epic Fury in the past tense but did not explicitly confirm its conclusion. During a Pentagon briefing in April, after the U.S. and Iran entered a temporary ceasefire, Hegseth remarked that Epic Fury had achieved a “decisive military victory.”
May 5 was also the last time the Pentagon provided media updates regarding the conflict with Iran. On that day, President Trump indicated that Project Freedom would be temporarily halted to facilitate negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, though the current status of those discussions remains unclear.
It is important to note that the May 5 date did not signify the end of the broader conflict with Iran, as U.S. forces continue to engage in operations related to the conflict that began six months prior when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.
On July 7, President Trump formally notified Congress that “military action” against Iran had resumed, in a message directed to Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the Senate’s president pro tempore. Around this time, negotiations between the U.S. and Iran deteriorated, leading Trump to declare the April ceasefire “over.”
Following the collapse of the ceasefire, Iranian forces have persisted in attacking U.S. troops and commercial vessels. The U.S. has also conducted periodic strikes against Iran, including two rounds of attacks in the past week that elicited Iranian counterstrikes.
The Pentagon’s acknowledgment of the May 5 conclusion date raises further inquiries regarding the necessity of its public affairs office to instruct senior leaders in early August not to reference Operation Epic Fury in discussions about ongoing military activities against Iran—operations that the military now claims had ended months earlier. The Pentagon did not provide comment regarding the rationale for this guidance.
Additionally, the significance of the May 5 date extends beyond the specific operation, serving as a reference point for assessing how the military accounts for American casualties since the onset of the conflict with Iran.
In July, the Defense Department’s website, which informs the public about casualties in military conflicts, indicated…
