United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) appeared on Ed Henry’s The Big Take on Newsmax to discuss the ongoing U.S. military operation, Operation Epic Fury, as well as the earlier Operation Midnight Hammer and President Trump’s approach toward Iran.
During the interview, Hagerty addressed criticism from Democrats regarding the military actions in Iran. “They completely missed the point, which seems to be typical of the Democrat Party these days. They’re just so possessed by politics, they can’t look at the reality of the situation. And the reality is, very simply, this Operation Midnight Hammer [in June 2025] was a complete success. We took out their nuclear capabilities. That was the objective. We executed that with perfection, along with our allies in Israel. This time, our objective [with Operation Epic Fury] is very clear as well: taking out their short-range [and long-range] ballistic missile capability. We’re doing that right now. We’ve struck them immensely. If you think about what Israel did–200 jets coming in–this is in the wake of them taking out a large part of Iran’s Air Force capabilities and air control capabilities. They have now completely obliterated Iran’s air control. They’ve opened up the airspace. They will be able to finish the job. Israel is working in the north of Iran, the United States is working in the south. We’re going to remove the threats on our nation, the threats on commerce in the region. We’re going to remove the threat of Iran totally. And this is how you avoid a war. This is precisely how you avoid a war, again, with a bloodthirsty nation, with leaders like you’ve seen who have been willing to kill Americans, kill our allies. They have been unrealistic in the negotiations with our team, and this is what happens. President [Donald] Trump means business.”
Hagerty spoke about possible developments inside Iran: “I talked with an Iranian friend of mine in New York today. He was very pleased with the way things are going. What’s going to take place? I think this is going to have to move quickly. You underscore the reasons why it should move quickly. President Trump has invited the Iranian people to take their country back. This is the once-in-a-generation opportunity to do that. We’re going to stand by and be supportive of this. President Trump is creating the opportunity.He could not have been more clear withthe IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] leadership: lay your weapons down,you will have immunity,and if you don’t,you will die.I don’t know how more clear you could make this.”
On intelligence operations supporting these actions,Hagerty said,“Think aboutthe exquisite intelligence that we’ve had here.T hink aboutthe successofthis operation,the successofIsrael’s operationsinIran.T hinkaboutwhattheywereabletodoIran’ s supply chains ,blowingthethumbsoffeveryHezbollah leader ,orworse.Wehaveexquisiteintelligence,andthewayyoudo thatisbyhavingpeopleveryclose.Ithinkthatdoesn’trequireanysortofclassifiedinformationtofigurethisout.We’vegotverydeepconnectivityintoIran.Ithinkwe’llbeabletofigurethisout.We’llbeabletoworkcloselywiththosewhocan.Myhopeisthatwe’llbringthistoacloseasquicklyaspossible.Iranhasanumberofweaponsstillthere,butIthinkthemessagePresidentTrumpsentwasvery ,veryclear.”
Senator Hagerty represents Tennessee as a Republican in Congress according to his official website. He serves on several Senate committees including Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Foreign Relations; Appropriations; and Rules and Administration for Congress as noted online. His office maintains multiple district locations across Tennessee such as Chattanooga and Knoxville along with an office at Washington D.C.’s Russell Senate Office Building according to official sources. The office offers constituent services like casework assistance and federal agency support statewide through its various offices.
