The United States and Ecuador launched joint military operations against “designated terrorist organizations” on Tuesday, marking yet another expansion of American military engagement under the Trump administration as it simultaneously wages a major air campaign against Iran.
The Ecuador operation represents a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s Latin American military posture. U.S. Southern Command announced that American forces provided planning, intelligence, and operational support, with military advisors assisting Ecuadorian commandos in targeting narco-terrorist organizations. This marks the first time the U.S. military has worked in a land operation as part of the administration’s fight against Latin American drug cartels.
The operation comes just five days after President Trump launched what the Pentagon has dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran — a massive joint U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign that has already claimed the lives of six American service members. The conflict began February 28 when airstrikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, decapitating the Islamic Republic’s leadership.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the Ecuador operation during a briefing but provided limited details about its scope and duration. The Pentagon’s focus remained squarely on Iran, where the administration faces mounting questions about its strategic objectives and exit plan.
In Iran, the human cost has been staggering. Six American soldiers were killed on March 1 when an Iranian drone struck a tactical operations center at a commercial port in Kuwait. All were Army Reserve soldiers assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command. Three U.S. F-15E fighter jets were also lost in a friendly fire incident when Kuwaiti air defenses mistakenly shot them down — though all six crew members ejected safely.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth struck a defiant tone at Wednesday’s Pentagon briefing. “We can sustain this fight easily for as long as we need to,” Hegseth declared, announcing that a U.S. submarine had sunk an Iranian warship with a torpedo — the first such action since World War II.
The conflict reached a horrific turning point when a strike hit a girls’ elementary school in Minab, in southern Iran. Iranian authorities report 165 people killed, most of them schoolgirls between ages 7 and 12. UNESCO condemned the strike as “a grave violation of humanitarian law.” U.S. Central Command said it is investigating reports of civilian harm but has not confirmed responsibility.
Intelligence sources revealed that the CIA shared location intelligence with Israel that helped determine the whereabouts of Khamenei and other top Iranian leaders, enabling the coordinated strikes that killed the Supreme Leader along with at least a dozen senior military officials.
The Ecuador operation unfolds against a backdrop of strained U.S.-Latin American relations. In late January, ICE agents attempted to enter Ecuador’s Minneapolis consulate while pursuing an individual, prompting Ecuador to file a formal diplomatic protest. The Trump administration has since worked to repair ties with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who met with U.S. Southern Command’s leadership in Quito just days before the joint operation launched.
The simultaneous operations represent an unprecedented level of American military engagement. President Trump has directed both campaigns from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, warning in social media posts that the Iran conflict could last “four to five weeks” and that additional American casualties should be expected.
The political fallout has already begun. In Texas primaries Tuesday, Representative Dan Crenshaw — a former Navy SEAL who had occasionally bucked his party on foreign policy — lost his Republican primary to state Representative Steve Toth, becoming the first member of Congress to lose renomination in the 2026 cycle. Meanwhile, state Representative James Talarico defeated Representative Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic Senate primary, setting up what could be a closely watched general election race.
Critics in Congress have voiced sharp concerns about the expanding conflicts. Senator Tim Kaine, the lead sponsor of a war powers resolution aimed at halting Trump’s Iran assault, called the operation “an illegal war” launched without congressional authorization.
The economic impact has been immediate and severe. Oil prices have surged as Iran’s retaliatory strikes target Gulf states hosting U.S. military installations. Iran has attacked bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, while its missiles have killed at least 11 people in Israel. The conflict has caused the biggest disruption to global air transport since the COVID pandemic.
Vice President JD Vance has publicly supported the administration’s actions in Iran, while the White House has emphasized that both the Ecuador and Iran operations target terrorist organizations and serve American national security interests.
As military operations continue on two fronts, protests have erupted in several American cities, with demonstrators opposing the expanding conflicts. The administration has not provided a timeline for when either operation might conclude, and officials have declined to rule out the possibility of ground troops being deployed in the future.