Anyone who says that President Donald Trump’s Operation Epic Fury has been anything other than an epic success has either been living under a rock or only getting information from Iranian state media since the start of this operation.
Here are the facts: the Ayatollah and senior Iranian military, intelligence, and political leaders are dead. Iran’s immediate path to a nuclear weapon is gone. And the Iranian terrorist regime, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, is on life support.
But that isn’t stopping some in Congress from trying to restrict President Trump’s clear authority to carry out this operation and jeopardize the success our military has had in this conflict. Let me be clear: the War Powers Resolution led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D., Calif.) is dangerously wrong and totally irresponsible. It fundamentally misunderstands the powers that the Founding Fathers clearly vested with the Commander-in-Chief.
Under Article II of the Constitution, the president has both the authority and the responsibility to defend American forces and protect our national security. What it does not require, and what it has never required, is for Congress to micromanage active military operations in real-time, especially when American lives are on the line.
The Founding Fathers understood that in moments of conflict, the nation could not afford hesitation or paralysis. They deliberately created a system where the Commander-in-Chief could act with speed and decisiveness to defend the country, while Congress retained the power to declare war and control funding, not to direct troop movements or second-guess battlefield decisions in real time. The power of the purse is Congress’ ultimate check on the Executive.
Alexander Hamilton argued in Federalist 70 that energy in the Executive is essential for national security, unity, secrecy, dispatch, and decision. He contended that a single president is vital for defending the country. The framers did not design a Commander-in-Chief who would need to seek permission in the middle of a fight. They designed one who could win it.
On the House floor, I warned that this war powers resolution is not just misguided — it is dangerous. It would weaken our country at the very moment we are gaining the upper hand and hand a strategic gift to our enemies.
Since the start of the operation, ballistic missile and drone attacks from Iran have dropped by 90 percent. The United States has struck over 11,000 targets, systematically degrading the regime’s ability to threaten American forces and our allies. More than 66 percent of Iran’s missile, drone, and naval production infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
The results at sea are even more decisive. The Iranian Navy has effectively been neutralized, with over 150 vessels destroyed, including more than 44 minelayers. Iran can no longer project power across key regional waterways, and the United States is now in control of the Strait of Hormuz.
In the air, the contrast is even starker. The United States now has overwhelming air dominance over Iran, executing strike packages from multiple directions every hour and pushing deeper into contested territory with precision and control. Iran’s air defenses have been crippled. Its ability to respond is collapsing.
This is what decisive leadership looks like.
Operation Epic Fury is not just about winning today’s fight — it is about eliminating tomorrow’s threats. Our military is not only intercepting missiles and drones; it is dismantling the regime’s defense industrial base so those weapons cannot be rebuilt. We are methodically destroying the infrastructure that has allowed Iran to terrorize the region and target American service members for decades.
The objectives are clear and achievable.
First, destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities and raze its missile industry. That work is well underway, with the regime’s offensive capacity already severely degraded.
Second, eliminate Iran’s ability to threaten global commerce and energy flows. With its navy shattered and its presence in key waterways erased, that objective is rapidly being met.
Third, neutralize Iran’s terrorist proxy network. These proxies include but are not limited to the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas, the group responsible for the October 7th atrocity killing over one thousand Israeli and American innocents. Already, those proxies are struggling to operate under the weight of sustained U.S. pressure.
Fourth, ensure Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon. That has been a consistent American objective for decades — and now, for the first time, we are backing it with overwhelming force and sustained action.
We’ve seen what happens when the terrorist regime of Iran goes unchecked. From the 1979 hostage crisis to the Beirut barracks bombing, to the terrorist attack on the U.S.S. Cole, to the countless attacks on our troops during the war on terror. Operation Epic Fury is finally neutralizing the threats from Iran — and it is working.
President Trump has made clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon, and he is acting on that promise. He is complying with the law, consulting Congress, and fulfilling his duty as Commander-in-Chief. We should not give Iran a lifeline and we should finish the job.
Rep. Andy Barr (R., Ky.) is a senior member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and is a leading candidate to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.).
