U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubiosignaled a massive escalation in the military campaign against Iran on Tuesday, telling reporters following congressional briefings that American forces will "unleash Chiang" in the coming hours and days.
The unexpected historical callback to Cold War-era Taiwan policy underscores Washington's intent to use overwhelming, unrestricted force to dismantle Tehran's regime under Operation Epic Fury.
The Historical Context of "Unleashing Chiang"
The phrase originates from the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration's 1953 policy regarding Taiwan and the Republic of China's leader, Chiang Kai-shek.
During the Chinese Civil War, as Nationalist forces retreated to Taiwan, President Harry Truman initially declared the United States would not intervene in the Taiwan Strait. However, the outbreak of the Korean War prompted Truman to deploy the U.S. Seventh Fleet to the region, effectively shielding Taiwan but also preventing Nationalist forces from attacking the mainland.
On Feb. 2, 1953, Eisenhower lifted the Seventh Fleet's blockade, satisfying anti-communist demands in Congress to "unleash Chiang" against the People's Republic of China. This led to the deployment of 58,000 Nationalist troops to Kinmen and 15,000 to Matsu, and paved the way for the 1955 Formosa Resolution, which established a legislative precedent allowing the U.S. president to authorize military force without a formal war declaration.
Today, the phrase has been repurposed by the State Department as a metaphor for unleashing devastating, unrestrained military power.
"Dismantling a Terror Regime"
In the context of Operation Epic Fury, "unleashing Chiang" means accelerating the U.S.-Israeli offensive to shatter Iran's power structures. According to Fox News, the strikes have already yielded unprecedented outcomes: beyond the reported death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Assembly of Experts building in Qom—the clerical body responsible for selecting the supreme leader—has been destroyed. The elimination of the assembly's members would severely cripple Tehran's theocratic succession process.
Rubio fiercely defended the escalation, arguing that extremist regimes cannot be allowed to possess nuclear capabilities.
"They were willing to slaughter their own people in the streets. Imagine what they would do to us. Imagine what they would do to others," Rubio said.
He dismissed claims that the military action was dictated by Israeli pressure, placing the decision squarely on President Donald Trump.
"Once the President made a decision that negotiations were not going to work, that they were playing us on the negotiations, and that this was a threat that was untenable, the decision was made to strike them," he said.
Rubio characterized the Iranian leadership as "religious fanatic lunatics" withambitions to acquire nuclear weapons who relied on missiles, drones, and terrorism to intimidate the globe.
"The President made the decision to go after them, take away their missiles, take away their navy, take away their drones, take away their ability to make those things, so that they can never have a nuclear weapon," Rubio stated.
He noted that U.S. Central Command is conducting saturation strikes against launchers, production facilities, and naval assets to systematically destroy Iran's "missile belt."
Evacuations and War Powers Justification
As the military offensive intensifies, the State Department is rushing to pull American citizens out of the crossfire.
Rubio confirmed the U.S. is evacuating citizens from the Middle East using a combination of charter flights, military aircraft, and expanded commercial routes.
Nine thousand people have successfully departed the region, with 1,500 Americans currently requesting departure assistance.
The secretary acknowledged severe logistical hurdles, noting several instances where evacuation aircraft had to return to their departure points mid-flight due to sudden airspace closures. He urged any remaining Americans in the Middle East to contact the State Department immediately for coordination.
Addressing domestic legal concerns regarding the War Powers Act, Rubio maintained that the administration acted lawfully, even while reiterating the executive branch's long-held view that the act infringes on presidential authority.
"There's mechanisms for it, and we've complied with the War Powers Act even though we believe it's unconstitutional, as has every other administration," Rubio said.
"We've over-complied with the law and what it requires. This is an action by the President to address a real threat, a real threat. This is hostilities designed to eliminate a threat to the safety and the security of the United States and to our allies." （Related： Taiwan's Energy Security at Risk as Middle East Crisis Threatens Global Supply Lines ｜ Latest ）
