Operation Epic Fury (Paperback)

Paperback. On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury, initiating the most significant American military action in the Middle East in two decades. In the weeks that followed, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed, the Strait of Hormuz closed to commercial shipping, THAAD interceptor stocks were drawn down at an unprecedented rate, and Congress confronted questions of war powers, cost, and nuclear consequence that it had not faced in a generation. By June 17, 2026, the parties had initialed a Memorandum of Understanding in Islamabad; six days later, Iranian forces struck Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in what officials characterized as a "compliance test." The situation as of this publication date remains unresolved. This documentary edition assembles the three most authoritative nonpartisan analyses of the conflict available to Congress. CRS R48887 (U.S. Conflict with Iran, updated March 26, 2026, Version 2) provides the foundational overview: strategic context, the February 28 opening strikes and their stated objectives, early battle damage assessments, the humanitarian dimensions of closure of the Strait of Hormuz, projected economic effects, and the key questions before Congress regarding authorization, appropriations, and post-conflict reconstruction. CRS IN12678 (U.S.-Iran Ceasefire and Negotiations: Assessment and Issues for Congress, updated May 13, 2026, Version 5) covers the April 7 ceasefire declaration, the April 11-12 Islamabad talks, the terms of the draft Memorandum of Understanding, the disputed Iranian compliance record, and the diplomatic impasse through mid-May - including the unresolved question of Iran's nuclear enrichment activities. CRS IF12645 (The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) System, updated June 23, 2026, Version 15) addresses THAAD's central and unexpected role in regional missile defense during Operation Epic Fury: the system's intercept performance and its widely debated effectiveness rate, the depletion of the XAL-1 interceptor stockpile to levels that prompted an emergency procurement supplemental, and the system's planned transfer from the Missile Defense Agency to the Army as the operational lesson of the conflict. All three reports are works of the United States Government and are in the public domain under 17 U.S.C. Section 105. They are reproduced here in facsimile, without alteration. Congressional Research Service reports are written for Members of Congress and congressional staff and are intended to be objective, authoritative, and nonpartisan. They do not represent the official views of Congress. The editorial apparatus of this edition includes a Publisher's Note explaining Nimble Ultra's documentary mission; an introduction to CRS report formats (R, IN, and IF designations); an Editorial Introduction providing a chronological overview of the conflict from February 28 through June 24, 2026, incorporating the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, the June 21 Burgenstock implementation talks, and the Al Udeid attack of June 23; a Document Guide providing a concise explainer for each of the three reports, including its type, author, date, subject, and significance; a Caveats and Counterpoints section gathering the principal uncertainties and contested claims - temporal limits, disputed intercept rates, unresolved nuclear negotiation outcome, uncertain durability of the ceasefire, and the selection bias inherent in any single-source intelligence account; an Operational Glossary covering approximately 30 military, diplomatic, and intelligence terms from ACS through THAAD and war powers; a Persons and Organizations Index; and a Source and Document Table. ISBN: 979-8-2595-0608-4. EU AI Act Article 50 Disclosure: portions of the apparatus were generated with AI assistance. Three official Congressional R Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. …