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Members of the Iranian community and supporters hold signs and pre-regime Iranian flags during a "Solidarity with the People of Iran" event in Los Angeles on Jan. 18, 2026. Apu Gomes/Getty Images
WASHINGTON—At precisely 3:38 p.m. ET on Feb. 27, President Donald Trump was traveling to Texas on Air Force One when he gave the order for American forces to strike Iran.
“Operation Epic Fury is approved. No aborts. Good luck,” Trump told War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Emel Akan is a senior White House correspondent for The Epoch Times, where she covers the policies of the Trump administration. Previously, she reported on the Biden administration and the first term of President Trump. Before her journalism career, she worked in investment banking at JPMorgan. She holds an MBA from Georgetown University.
