White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the US has achieved all its military objectives in the 38-day war against Iran under Operation Epic Fury. She praised US forces and President Donald Trump for "tough negotiations" that brought about long-term peace in the region.
"This is a victory for the United States that President Trump and our incredible military made happen. From the very beginning of Operation Epic Fury, President Trump estimated this would be a 4-6 week operation.
Thanks to the unbelievable capabilities of our warriors, we have achieved and exceeded our core military objectives in 38 days," Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X.
"The success of our military created maximum leverage, allowing President Trump and the team to engage in tough negotiations that have now created an opening for a diplomatic solution and long-term peace," she said.
Also Read | Missile Alerts in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Israel Despite US–Iran Ceasefire Announcement.
The press secretary also highlighted the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as a signature achievement of the operation, stating that Trump had succeeded in getting the waterway reopened.
On US President Trump's announcement on the ceasefire, Executive Director at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD) and former U.S. Treasury counterterrorism analyst, Jonathan Schanzer, said that it is "a very unusual thing" that the country sponsoring terrorism brokered the deal between Iran and the US.
Terming Pakistan a "rogue proliferator", Jonathan Schanzer said, "The reasons for Pakistan doing this are entirely unclear to me. I think the terms of this are still somewhat unclear because what the United States is saying differs significantly from what the Iranians are saying."
"I think first we need to understand here that this was a deal that was brokered by Pakistan. This is a very unusual thing that is happening here. A country that is a traditional state sponsor of terrorism and a rogue proliferator has now intervened to stop a war between the United States and a state sponsor of terrorism and a rogue proliferator," he added.
Meanwhile, protests were held in Washington, DC, against Trump despite the ceasefire announcement. An agitator alleged that the US President has committed "war crimes" across the world.
We are out here tonight because we cannot stand what is going on. We cannot wait till the elections... What's happening in this country needs to stop now," a protestor, Morgan Taylor, told the news agency ANI.
"The cruelty, happening not only in this country but also by this country around the world, the war crimes that this president has done from that White House—this man has got to go. The whole regime has to go. Until he is gone, we need to fill these streets every day... Every day, more people are dying. Every day, more people are suffering around the world because of him," she added.
Another protestor said, "I am strongly opposed to any foreign military action that involves so many civilian casualties. I don't believe that the US military should be bombing Iran with no pretext, recklessly, to the detriment of all countries in the region... I think that overall, it is just a travesty, and we need to bring it to a conclusion as quickly as possible."