A journalist uses a phone to take video as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington on March 10, 2026. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that President Donald Trump will determine when the Iranian regime has surrendered unconditionally, a prerequisite to the termination of Operation Epic Fury.
“Ultimately, the operations will end when the commander-in-chief determines the military objectives have been met, fully realized, and that Iran is in a position of complete and unconditional surrender, whether they say it or not,” Leavitt said during a briefing at the Executive Mansion, adding that the hardline regime might not admit defeat.