NBC News revealed that the U.S. military is seriously considering renaming the war with Iran “Operation Sledgehammer” if the current ceasefire breaks down and President Donald Trump decides to restart major combat operations. This move would effectively reset the 60-day clock that requires congressional authorization for war, according to two U.S. officials.
The discussions about possibly replacing “Operation Epic Fury” with “Operation Sledgehammer” show how seriously the administration is thinking about resuming the war, which started on February 28.
The Trump administration declared an end to Operation Epic Fury after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in early April to pursue diplomatic negotiations. However, the Pentagon has continued to refer to the conflict as Operation Epic Fury, including in its public updates.
Trump is preparing to restart the Iran war while heading to Beijing for high-stakes talks with Xi
This name change would be more than just a semantic shift. It would allow Trump to argue that a new 60-day congressional clock has started. “Any new military combat operations against Iran would be conducted under a new name and operation,” a White House official familiar with the discussions said.
The 1973 War Powers Resolution requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of starting combat, after which troops must either be withdrawn within 60 days or Congress must authorize the military action. Epic Fury’s offensive combat operations were paused after 40 days of fighting, and the Trump administration has argued that, given the pause, it has not reached the 60-day threshold.
Trump is still considering various options for reopening the Strait of Hormuz as he expresses deep skepticism that diplomatic talks with Iran will succeed. The U.S. and Iran have exchanged fire in recent days, as Iran has halted ship passage through the strait and Trump continues a blockade.
The U.S. military is considering re-naming the war with Iran “Operation Sledgehammer” if the current ceasefire collapses and war resumes -NBC
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 12, 2026
The working theory is that it would restart the 60-day War Powers countdown.
Trump is planning to meet with “a large group of generals” to discuss Iran, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine. Rubio told reporters last week that Operation Epic Fury “is over.”
The U.S. military presence in the region is now larger than when Operation Epic Fury began in February. The military has brought in an additional carrier strike group and replaced and rearmed some of the assets used during the first two months of the operation. The president has not ordered a restart of major combat operations, but “the status quo will not persist,” a U.S. official said.
The war has entered its third month, with Tehran tightening its grip over the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply ordinarily passes. U.S. officials have spent weeks urging China, Iran’s biggest oil customer and one of the few powers with real influence in Tehran, to pressure Iran into reopening the strait.
China has condemned U.S. measures as “illegal unilateral sanctions” and has publicly called for stability while avoiding clear alignment with Washington. Trump’s trip to China, which he was set to leave for on Tuesday, is also a factor in his decision-making on whether to resume major combat operations against Iran. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in Beijing last week and defended Iran’s right to develop civilian nuclear energy.
Scott Kennedy, senior adviser in Chinese business and economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said: “China and Xi Jinping come into this meeting in a much stronger place than the United States. China has goals that they would like: to extend the ceasefire, to reduce tech restrictions on the imports of semiconductors and lower tariffs.”
“But even if they don’t get much on any of those things, as long as there’s not a blow up in the meeting and president Trump doesn’t go away and look to re-escalate, China basically comes out stronger,” he added, as per The Guardian.
Anna Kelly, the White House principal deputy press secretary, told reporters: “President Trump cares about results, not symbols. But even still, the president has a great relationship with President Xi, and the upcoming summit in Beijing will be both symbolically and substantively significant.”
Trump has previously drawn attention for how he behaves during official White House addresses, with aides reportedly urging him to stay on script. The summit itinerary includes a formal welcome ceremony, private meetings between the two leaders, and a tour of the Temple of Heaven, a religious complex dating to the 15th century.
Bernie Sanders, an independent U.S. senator, has urged Trump and Xi to allow top scientists to share technical information and develop “AI redlines” about dangerous behavior. The broader political climate in the U.S. continues to be tense, with incidents like hate-related displays at public spaces drawing attention to how businesses and institutions respond to controversial conduct.
