Rubio says U.S. military campaign against Iran is "over"

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Rubio says U.S. military campaign against Iran is "over"

2026-05-06 10:26 Last Updated At：13:37

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday the U.S. military campaign against Iran, which was jointly launched with Israel on Feb. 28, is "over".

"The operation is over, Epic Fury, as the president notified Congress. We're done with that stage of it," Rubio said at a White House briefing.

Rubio noted that U.S. forces are currently advancing "Project Freedom" in the Strait of Hormuz to restore freedom of navigation in the critical international waterway.

Reiterating it as a defensive operation, Rubio stressed that while the United States will not fire first, any attack would be met with "lethal efficiency".

He added that Washington aims to ensure the strait remains open by eliminating sea mines and illegal toll-collection activities.

On the economic front, Rubio highlighted that the U.S. is simultaneously moving forward with its "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, which includes intensifying sanctions and blockade measures.

Despite the pressure, Rubio said that U.S. President Donald Trump still prefers a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing tensions.

In response to a media query after his brief statement, Rubio said that the U.S. has yet to see any fresh signs that Iran is willing to give up its nuclear weapons program in a credible and verifiable manner.

Rubio said the U.S. wants a diplomatic solution that is "very clear about the topics that Iran is willing to negotiate on, and the extent and the concessions Iran is willing to make at the front to make the talks worthwhile." He added that the American diplomatic team is currently working on that objective.

On the same day, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that despite Washington's talk of dialogue, U.S. military escalation and threats in the region persist.

He accused the U.S. of imposing maximum pressure on Iran, adding that Iran will not be coerced into accepting Washington's unilateral demands.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East.

A ceasefire was reached between the warring sides on April 8, followed by peace talks in Pakistan's Islamabad on April 11 and 12, which ended without an agreement.

U.S. stocks advance amid easing oil prices, strong semiconductor shares

U.S. stocks ended higher on Tuesday, with both the Standard and Poor's 500 and the Nasdaq Composite Index notching fresh all-time highs as easing oil prices and a strong batch of corporate earnings boosted investor sentiment.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 356.35 points, or 0.73 percent, to 49,298.25. The Standard and Poor's 500 added 58.47 points, or 0.81 percent, to 7,259.22. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 258.32 points, or 1.03 percent, to 25,326.13.

All 11 primary Standard and Poor's 500 sectors ended in the green. The materials and technology sectors led the gainers, advancing 1.67 percent and 1.63 percent, respectively. The utilities sector posted the weakest growth, edging up by just 0.01 percent.

The geopolitical backdrop provided some relief for markets, even as the ceasefire between the United States and Iran remains fragile amid reports of fresh attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the ceasefire "certainly holds" and that "two U.S. commercial ships, along with American destroyers, have already safely transited the strait, showing the lane is clear."

Following these reassuring remarks, global energy markets retreated.

Another round of better-than-expected corporate financial results added to the positive momentum in equities. Shares of materials science giant DuPont de Nemours gained 8.43 percent after its first-quarter earnings and revenue beat Wall Street expectations. Belgian brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev popped 8.74 percent following its upbeat quarterly report.

Conversely, several notable companies faced sharp sell-offs after their earnings announcements. Shares of e-commerce platform Shopify sank 15.62 percent, and digital payments firm PayPal dropped 7.74 percent. Language-learning app Duolingo declined 5.62 percent, and data analytics company Palantir Technologies pulled back nearly 7 percent.

In the semiconductor sector, Intel emerged as a massive winner, soaring nearly 13 percent to hit a new all-time high following media reports that the chipmaker is in active discussions with Apple regarding custom chip supply. Meanwhile, rival chip maker Advanced Micro Devices saw its shares rise 4.02 percent as investors positioned themselves ahead of the company's scheduled earnings release after the market close.