It is too late to negotiate, Trump tells Iran's remaining leadership
In the ancient crossroads of the Middle East, a conflict long anticipated has crossed into open war. The United States and Israel have launched their largest coordinated military campaign in the region in a generation, striking deep into Iran while Tehran answers with missiles and drones. For the 115,000 Australians caught within the radius of this upheaval, the abstract has become immediate — evacuation flights are moving, but the horizon remains uncertain. What began as a strike is already being planned as a prolonged campaign, raising the oldest of questions: where does a war, once started, choose to stop?
- Operation Epic Fury has unleashed the largest US military build-up in the Middle East in decades, with over 100 aircraft, two carrier groups, and 50,000 troops now engaged in active combat against Iran.
- Iran has retaliated with more than 500 ballistic missiles and 2,000 drones, while the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent oil tanker traffic to near zero and rattled global energy markets.
- The human cost is spreading beyond the battlefield — at least ten dead in Lebanon, Jerusalem's Old City shuttered, and 16 Lebanese villages ordered to evacuate as Israeli strikes intensify.
- Australia is racing to protect its 115,000 citizens in the region, deploying six crisis teams and celebrating the departure of a first Emirates flight carrying over 200 Australians from Dubai to Sydney.
- In Washington, Democratic senators leaving classified briefings warned the war is worse than publicly known, with officials reportedly telling Congress the conflict will grow longer and more violent.
- The Pentagon is already meeting with defense contractors to accelerate weapons production, signalling that this is not a strike but the opening chapter of a sustained military campaign.
On February 27, President Trump authorised Operation Epic Fury — a sweeping assault on Iran involving more than 100 aircraft, two aircraft carriers, and over 50,000 troops. The following day, American and Israeli forces struck Iranian military command structures and air defenses in a large-scale daylight operation that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs described as the biggest US military build-up in the Middle East in a generation.
US commanders reported striking results: 17 Iranian vessels destroyed including a submarine, hundreds of ballistic missile launchers eliminated, and Iran's air defense network severely degraded. Iran answered with over 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones, though US Central Command assessed that Tehran's retaliatory capacity is diminishing as American firepower continues to accumulate.
The war's reach is already felt across the region. Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed at least ten people, including victims of a hit on a hotel in the Beirut suburb of Hazmieh and a residential building in Baalbeck. Sixteen villages in southern Lebanon have been ordered to evacuate. In Jerusalem, the Old City — sacred to three faiths — was closed following Iranian attacks on the area.
For Australia, the crisis is personal. Some 115,000 citizens are in the Middle East, with more than 20,000 in the UAE alone. Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced six consular crisis teams are being deployed across the region. The first evacuation flight since hostilities began — an Emirates A380 carrying over 200 Australians — departed Dubai on Wednesday morning, bound for Sydney. Wong expressed cautious relief, while acknowledging the scale of what remains.
The conflict is reordering global logistics. Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, and marine tracking data shows oil tanker traffic through the passage has collapsed to near zero. The US State Department has authorised non-essential staff to leave multiple Gulf nations, and Trump has pledged Navy escorts for tankers as soon as possible.
In Washington, Democratic senators emerging from classified briefings sounded alarm. Senator Elizabeth Warren called the situation far worse than publicly understood and accused the administration of waging an illegal war. Senator Andy Kim said officials had told Congress the conflict would grow longer and more violent. The Pentagon is already meeting with major defense contractors on Friday to accelerate weapons production, replenishing stockpiles drawn down since Ukraine and Gaza. Trump has told Iran's leadership it is too late to negotiate. The question now is not whether the war continues, but how far it will reach.
The war between the United States, Israel, and Iran has entered a new and more violent phase. On February 27, President Donald Trump approved what the military calls Operation Epic Fury—a coordinated assault involving more than 100 aircraft, two aircraft carriers, and over 50,000 troops. The next day, in a brazen daylight attack, American and Israeli forces struck deep into Iranian territory, targeting the country's military command structure and air defenses. The operation was so large that Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Dan Caine described it as "the largest build up by the US in the Middle East in a generation."
The immediate results, according to US military commanders, have been devastating for Iran. Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, reported that American forces destroyed 17 Iranian ships including a submarine, eliminated hundreds of ballistic missiles and their launchers, and severely degraded Iran's air defense systems. The US Navy claims not a single Iranian naval vessel remains in Middle Eastern waters. In response, Iran has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones in retaliatory strikes. Yet Cooper assessed that Iran's capacity to strike back is declining while American combat power continues to build.
The human toll is mounting across the region. Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed at least ten people so far. One strike hit a hotel in the Beirut suburb of Hazmieh, the first recent attack on that predominantly Christian area. Another strike on a residential complex in the Lebanese city of Baalbeck killed at least four people and wounded six others. The Israeli military has now issued evacuation warnings for 16 villages in southern Lebanon, signaling that more strikes are coming. Jerusalem's Old City, home to holy sites sacred to Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, has been closed after Iranian attacks targeted the area.
For Australians caught in the region, the situation has become urgent. An estimated 115,000 Australian citizens are currently in the Middle East, with more than 20,000 in the United Arab Emirates alone. Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced that six crisis teams are being deployed to provide consular support to those stranded. The first commercial flight to depart the region since hostilities began took off from Dubai on Wednesday morning, carrying over 200 Australians aboard an Emirates Airbus A380 bound for Sydney. The flight, which took off around 9:30 a.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time, was expected to land that evening at 10:30 p.m. Wong expressed relief that at least one evacuation route had opened, though she acknowledged much work remained.
The conflict is already reshaping global supply chains and security postures. The US State Department has authorized non-essential government employees to leave Saudi Arabia and Oman, following earlier orders for staff to depart the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, and Jordan. Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical shipping lanes. Marine tracking data shows oil tanker traffic through the strait has dropped to near zero, putting upward pressure on crude prices. Trump said the US Navy would begin escorting tankers through the passage as soon as possible.
Back in Washington, the Trump administration held classified briefings with members of Congress on the military campaign. Democrats who attended expressed alarm. Senator Elizabeth Warren said the situation was "so much worse than you thought" and accused the administration of launching an illegal war without any imminent threat to the nation. Senator Andy Kim reported that officials told lawmakers the conflict would continue for a long time and become even more violent, suggesting the administration was "making this up as they go along."
The Pentagon is already planning for a prolonged conflict. The White House has scheduled a meeting with executives from major American defense contractors for Friday to discuss accelerating weapons production. The Iranian operation has consumed large quantities of longer-range missiles, and the Pentagon needs to replenish stockpiles that have been drawn down since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Israel's military operations in Gaza. Meanwhile, Trump has told Iran's remaining leadership that it is "too late" to negotiate, and Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin declared: "We're not going to let this regime rehabilitate its command and control capabilities." The immediate question is no longer whether the war will continue, but how far it will spread.
Notable Quotes
Operation Epic Fury is approved. No aborts. Good luck.— President Donald Trump, directing the military operation on February 27
This illegal war is based on lies and it was launched without any imminent threat to our nation. The Trump administration has no plan in Iran.— Senator Elizabeth Warren, after classified briefing
We're not going to let this regime rehabilitate its command and control capabilities.— Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did Trump approve this operation now, in late February? What triggered the decision?
The source material doesn't specify a triggering event. Trump simply approved it, and the military executed it. The operation appears to have been planned in advance, then given the green light.
The scale is staggering—over 100 aircraft, 50,000 troops. How long can the US sustain this level of commitment?
That's the real question. The Pentagon is already meeting with weapons makers to accelerate production because the operation consumed so much ordnance. They've drawn down stockpiles supporting Ukraine and Gaza. This suggests they're preparing for a long campaign, not a quick strike.
What about the Australians? 115,000 is a huge number. How many can actually leave?
That's unclear. One flight got out with 200 people. Six crisis teams are being deployed to help, but Wong didn't say how they're even getting there—she cited security reasons. The evacuation is just beginning, and it's fragile. One flight departing doesn't mean the corridor will stay open.
Democrats are saying the administration has no plan. Do you believe that?
What I see is that officials told Congress this will go on for a long time and get more violent. That's not a plan—that's an admission of open-endedness. Warren said there was no plan to end it. That's different from having no plan at all; it's having a plan to keep fighting.
The Strait of Hormuz is closed. Oil tankers are gone. How does that resolve?
Trump said the Navy will escort tankers through. But that's a military commitment on top of everything else. It means the US is now responsible for keeping global oil flowing through a war zone. That's a massive undertaking with no clear endpoint.
Is there any off-ramp here? Any diplomatic path?
Trump told Iran it's too late to negotiate. Israel said it won't let the Iranian regime rebuild its command structure. Those aren't negotiating positions. They're statements of intent to continue until something fundamental changes—or until one side can't fight anymore.