White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the youngest press secretary in United States history, delivered a forceful briefing outlining the administration’s justification and objectives for Operation Epic Fury, the large-scale military campaign launched by President Donald Trump against Iran. Appointed in 2025 at age 26, Leavitt now holds a role that, since its formal establishment in 1929, has been occupied by more than 30 individuals—only eight of them women.
Breaking News: President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Karoline Leavitt, his campaign’s press secretary, to be his White House press secretary.https://t.co/3c2oIUYiUD
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 16, 2024
Leavitt’s tenure marks both a generational and historical milestone as she steps into the spotlight during a period of heightened global tensions.
At the center of the briefing was the president’s decision to initiate Operation Epic Fury, a campaign the administration says is aimed at dismantling Iran’s naval power, ballistic missile program, and nuclear ambitions. In her remarks, Leavitt declared, “It’s safe to say that thus far, Operation Epic Fury has been a resounding success.”
Leavitt: It's safe to say that thus far come operation epic fury has been a resounding success pic.twitter.com/QPMx79CzJu
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She detailed that American forces have struck more than 2,000 targets and destroyed hundreds of ballistic missiles, launchers, and drones. According to Leavitt, more than 20 Iranian ships have been destroyed, including a top submarine, and the United States is moving toward what she described as “complete and total dominance over Iranian airspace.”
Throughout the briefing, Leavitt emphasized that President Trump’s decision to act was rooted in what she characterized as a fact-based assessment of imminent danger. Addressing questions about intelligence shared by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the whereabouts of Iran’s supreme leader, she said the information affected the timing of the operation but not the core decision itself.
“The president prior to that phone call had a good feeling that the Iranian regime was going to strike the United States assets and our personnel in the region,” Leavitt stated. She later reiterated, “The president had a feeling, again based on fact, that Iran was going to strike the United States and our assets in the region.”
Leavitt: The president had a feeling, again, based on fact, that Iran was going to strike the US. pic.twitter.com/qT1OQsY1RP
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Leavitt cited what she described as decades of Iranian aggression, referencing the 1979 embassy hostage crisis in Tehran, the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, and attacks on American service members in Iraq. She argued that prior diplomatic efforts—including what she called exhaustive negotiations offering sanctions relief, civilian nuclear fuel, and investment in peaceful nuclear energy—were rejected by Tehran.
“They refused to say yes to peace,” she said, adding that the administration concluded Iran remained committed to pursuing nuclear weapons capability despite earlier U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities in 2025.
When pressed on whether regime change was an objective, Leavitt repeatedly returned to the four stated military goals: eliminating Iran’s ballistic missile threat, destroying its naval capability, disrupting missile and drone production infrastructure, and ending its pathway to nuclear weapons. While declining to characterize regime change as an official objective, she said, “Any day the United States of America is taking out a terrorist is a good day for our country and a good day for our people.”
Leavitt confirmed that six U.S. service members have been killed during Operation Epic Fury and extended condolences to their families, stating that President Trump intends to attend the dignified transfer of the fallen troops.
“The president was not going to be just another president on a very long list who sat back and stood by and passed the buck of this direct threat,” she said. “He was not going to sit back and watch that happen.”
With Operation Epic Fury ongoing, Leavitt said the administration’s immediate focus remains on achieving full operational objectives. Victory, she noted, will ultimately be determined by the commander-in-chief once those goals are fully realized.