Pentagon Says ‘America Is Winning’ — But Congress Wants a Say
Five days into Operation Epic Fury, the largest U.S. military campaign since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stood at the Pentagon podium Wednesday morning and delivered a blunt assessment: the Iranian regime is “toast.”
“Iran cannot outlast us,” Hegseth told reporters, flanked by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine. “Their capabilities are evaporating by the hour. America is winning.”
But even as the Pentagon celebrated battlefield gains — over 20 Iranian warships destroyed, air defenses crumbling, and a historic submarine torpedo strike — a political firestorm was brewing just miles away on Capitol Hill, where the U.S. Senate prepared to take its first vote on whether Congress should have the power to stop the war.
Day 5: Complete Air Superiority ‘Within Days’
Hegseth’s Wednesday briefing painted a picture of overwhelming American and Israeli military dominance. The key claims from the Pentagon:
- Air superiority imminent: “Starting last night and to be completed in a few days, in under a week, the two most powerful air forces in the world will have complete control of Iranian skies,” Hegseth declared.
- Iran’s navy effectively destroyed: General Caine confirmed that U.S. and Israeli forces have “effectively neutralized Iran’s major naval presence,” with over 20 Iranian vessels struck or sunk.
- Historic torpedo strike: A U.S. submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean — a vessel Hegseth said “thought it was safe in international waters.” He added: “Instead it was sunk by a torpedo — quiet death.” It marked the first torpedo sinking of an enemy warship since World War II.
- 24/7 operations: CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the U.S. military is conducting “24/7 strikes into Iran from seabed to space and cyberspace.”
- More forces incoming: Hegseth confirmed additional U.S. forces are arriving in the Middle East to sustain and expand the campaign, with over 50,000 troops already deployed alongside 200 aircraft and two carrier strike groups.
The scale is staggering. Since February 28, more than 2,000 targets have been hit across Iran, according to CENTCOM’s latest operational update.
The Senate Showdown: Can Congress Stop the War?
While bombs rained on Iran, a different kind of battle was taking shape in Washington.
The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a bipartisan war powers resolution that would require President Trump to get congressional approval before continuing military operations against Iran. The resolution, backed by Democrats and introduced under the War Powers Act, represents the first formal congressional test of the conflict.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has argued that President Trump is “acting within his constitutional authority” as commander-in-chief, and Senate Republicans are widely expected to vote the resolution down.
But the political dynamics are more complicated than simple party-line math:
- Bipartisan sponsors: The resolution has support from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and at least one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who has long championed congressional war powers.
- House vote coming: A similar measure in the House, introduced by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, is expected to see a vote later this week.
- Shifting justifications: The New York Times reported that Congress is divided in part because the Trump administration has offered “a head-snapping series of shifting justifications” for the campaign — from Iran’s nuclear program to missile threats to preemptive self-defense.
- Symbolic but significant: Even if both chambers pass their resolutions, the measures would be largely symbolic and non-binding. But a strong bipartisan vote could increase political pressure on the White House to define clearer war aims and an exit strategy.
This marks the eighth war powers resolution Congress has considered since June 2025, and all previous attempts have failed.
Khamenei’s Funeral Postponed as Strikes Hit Tehran
In a dramatic sign of just how destabilized Iran has become, the state funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — killed in the opening salvos of the U.S.-Israeli campaign on February 28 — has been postponed.
Iranian state media had announced a three-day ceremony beginning Wednesday evening at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini prayer grounds. But as fresh Israeli strikes pounded the capital targeting “military infrastructure,” according to the Israeli military, the ceremony was called off amid security concerns.
Khamenei’s death was confirmed by the Iranian government on March 1 after initial denials. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, is widely expected to be named successor, though the process remains unclear amid the chaos of ongoing strikes.
The inability to hold a funeral for the most powerful figure in Iran’s 45-year Islamic Republic underscores the scale of disruption the campaign has inflicted on the regime.
The Human Cost: Six Americans Dead, Over 1,000 Iranians Killed
The war is exacting a heavy toll on both sides.
Six American service members have been killed since Saturday, a number President Trump warned is “likely to increase.” The Pentagon on Monday identified four soldiers killed in a drone strike, and additional personnel have suffered serious injuries.
On the Iranian side, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported at least 1,045 people killed across the country since strikes began. A reported strike on a girls’ school killed 168 people on Saturday — an incident Hegseth said the U.S. is “investigating” but provided no further detail.
Iran has continued retaliatory operations, including:
- Drone strike on U.S. Consulate in Dubai, starting a fire at the diplomatic facility.
- Two drones hit the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, confirmed by Saudi authorities.
- Ballistic missile strike on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East.
- Continued strikes on Gulf energy infrastructure aimed at pressuring Gulf states to intervene.
- Hezbollah launched 13 separate attacks on March 3, escalating its parallel campaign against Israel.
Ground Troops? White House Won’t Rule It Out
Perhaps the most unsettling development came from the White House press briefing, where spokesperson Karoline Leavitt did not rule out the possibility of U.S. troops on the ground in Iran.
The non-answer sent shockwaves through Washington. Throughout the first five days of the conflict, administration officials have repeatedly characterized Operation Epic Fury as an air and naval campaign. Hegseth has said the U.S. will not get “bogged down” in Iran, but has notably avoided categorically ruling out ground forces.
President Trump told reporters Tuesday that the campaign could last “four to five weeks” but acknowledged it could go “far longer than that.” He also announced that the U.S. would provide insurance for commercial shipping and potentially escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz — a signal that the administration expects prolonged disruption to global energy markets.
The Strait of Hormuz: Iran’s Last Leverage?
Admiral Cooper delivered a striking data point during his operational update: “There is not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman.”
Iran’s navy has been effectively wiped from the waterways it once threatened to close. But Tehran’s retaliatory strategy — hitting Gulf state infrastructure and U.S. diplomatic targets across the region — appears designed to internationalize the conflict and pressure America’s regional allies.
Oil prices have surged since the conflict began, and gold has climbed as investors flee to safe-haven assets. The economic ripple effects are being felt far beyond the Middle East.
What Comes Next
Day 5 of Operation Epic Fury has revealed a conflict at a crossroads. The military campaign is proceeding with overwhelming force, but the political questions are mounting:
- Will the Senate vote change the trajectory of the war?
- Can Iran sustain retaliatory strikes as its military crumbles?
- Will the postponed Khamenei funeral become a rallying point for Iranian resistance — or a symbol of regime collapse?
- And the question no one in Washington wants to answer: will American boots eventually hit Iranian soil?
The Pentagon says America is winning. Congress isn’t sure America should be fighting. And the Iranian regime — leaderless, its navy destroyed, its skies contested — is running out of options.
This story is developing. Check back for continuous updates.