Former Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice Weighs In On Iran Conflict
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice delivered a forceful endorsement of President Donald Trump’s latest military campaign against Iran, arguing that the United States has reached a decisive moment after decades of confrontation with the regime in Tehran. Appearing on Fox News’ Special Report, Rice described Operation Epic Fury — the joint U.S.-Israeli military action that reportedly resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — as a pivotal opportunity to permanently weaken a government she said has been hostile to the United States for nearly half a century.
“Iran has been at war with us for at least 47 years,” Rice said, framing the current conflict as the culmination of a long-running struggle between Washington and Tehran. She pointed to the Iraq War as an example of Iran’s long shadow over American military casualties. According to Rice, estimates from that conflict suggested that as many as 75% to 80% of U.S. casualties were linked to Iranian-made improvised explosive devices used by militant groups.
For Rice, the objective of Operation Epic Fury appears clear: neutralize Iran’s ability to threaten the United States and its allies in the region. “If you can render Iran essentially incapable of military action against us and against our allies, that’s worthy,” she explained. In her view, the operation is designed to “neuter Iran as a military power in the region,” preventing the regime from projecting force through its extensive network of allied militias and proxy organizations.
Rice emphasized that Iran’s influence stretches well beyond its own borders. Tehran has spent decades building relationships with militant groups across the Middle East, particularly Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. According to Rice, those organizations receive funding, weapons, and training from Iran, allowing Tehran to extend its strategic reach throughout the region. “They have developed the military capability to reach outside the boundaries of Iran,” she noted.
To underscore her argument that Iran has long posed a danger to the United States, Rice referenced several historic attacks linked to the regime or its allies. She cited the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis — when American diplomats were held captive for 444 days — as well as the devastating 1983 suicide bombing of a U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 American service members. Those events, she suggested, illustrate a decades-long pattern of hostility.
Rice also recalled her own role in shaping international policy toward Iran during the George W. Bush administration. As secretary of state, she said she helped negotiate four United Nations Security Council resolutions that identified Iran as a threat to international peace and security, largely due to its nuclear ambitions.
The current conflict escalated rapidly after diplomatic negotiations broke down. Prior to Operation Epic Fury, American officials had been engaged in talks with Iranian representatives in Geneva. The central issue was Iran’s insistence on maintaining its ability to enrich uranium — something Tehran has repeatedly described as an “inalienable right.” The Trump administration, however, demanded that Iran abandon enrichment entirely, a condition that Iranian negotiators rejected.
Following the launch of the military operation, Iran responded with retaliatory strikes targeting U.S. and Israeli positions across the Middle East. Those attacks killed six American service members, a move Rice characterized as a serious miscalculation by Tehran. She suggested that expanding attacks to neighboring Gulf states could further isolate Iran diplomatically and militarily.
Rice also urged caution regarding emerging reports about possible Kurdish activity inside Iranian territory. Some reports suggested Kurdish groups may have launched incursions into parts of Iran, though Rice said the details remained unclear. She emphasized that Iran’s internal dynamics are complex, noting that the country is home to numerous ethnic minorities who have historically faced repression under the central government.
“Iran is not a homogeneous population,” Rice said, pointing out that the country’s population exceeds 90 million people and occupies territory roughly twice the size of Texas. Any attempt to reshape the region’s balance of power, she suggested, would inevitably involve complicated political and demographic factors.
Ultimately, Rice framed the current military campaign as part of a larger chain of events that began with the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas militants against Israel — an assault that killed more than 1,200 people, including 46 Americans. She argued that the scale and sophistication of the attack suggested Iranian involvement through training, equipment, or strategic planning.
In the months leading up to Operation Epic Fury, the United States had already targeted Iranian nuclear infrastructure during an earlier campaign known as Operation Midnight Hammer. Those strikes aimed to degrade Iran’s nuclear program and slow its progress toward developing a potential nuclear weapon.