Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared Tuesday that the 11th day of America’s war against Iran would see the “most intense day of strikes” yet against the Islamic Republic — and added that the conflict will wrap up “on our timeline.”
“We are winning with an overwhelming and unrelenting focus on our objective,” Hegseth declared during a press conference at the Pentagon, reiterating that those aims were to destroy Iran’s missile stockpiles, missile launchers and the ability to make them; destroy Tehran’s navy; and “permanently deny Iran nuclear weapons.”
Promising that Tuesday “will be, yet again, our most intense day of strikes inside Iran,” the secretary insisted that the US “will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated, but we do so on our timeline and at our choosing.”
To illustrate US dominance over the battlefield, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted that ballistic missile attacks from Iran on other Middle Eastern states had dropped 90% from the beginning of Operation Epic Fury Feb. 28, while the number of one-way attack drone strikes from the regime has plummeted by 83%.
Additionally, more than 50 Iranian ships have been damaged or destroyed, according to Caine.
“We’re crushing the enemy in an overwhelming display of technical skill and military force,” Hegseth boasted. “… The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes, intelligence more refined and better than ever.
“On the other hand, the last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest number of missiles they’ve been capable of firing.”
US forces have prioritized Iran’s ballistic missile stockpiles and are working to degrade the regime’s military industrial capacity, including its drone factories, Caine explained.
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The strikes on Iran’s fleet are also meant to protect shipping activity in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil travels each year.
Hegseth, a veteran of the Iraq War, noted at the start of the briefing that Operation Epic Fury “hits home” for him, given that he lost comrades to Iran-funded IED attacks at the height of the anti-US insurgency two decades ago.
The Pentagon chief once again contrasted the current military campaign against Iran with the drive to overthrow Saddam Hussein and establish democracy in Baghdad.
“This is not 2003. This is not endless nation-building under those types of quagmires we saw under Bush or Obama. It’s not even close,” Hegseth stressed. “Our generation of soldiers will not let that happen again.
“And nor will this president, who very clearly ran against those kinds of never-ending, nebulous-scope missions,” he added. “Those days are dead. Instead, we’re winning decisively with brutal efficiency, total air dominance, and an unbreakable will to accomplish the president’s objectives on our timeline.”
When pressed about what the future of Iran will look like once the US and Israel end their joint military campaign, Hegseth would only say that the situation will “be in America’s interest.”
The Pentagon honcho added that the US “won’t live under a nuclear blackmail scenario” and put Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, on notice.
“He would be wise to heed the words of our president, which is to not pursue nuclear weapons and to come out and state as such,” Hegseth said.
President Trump has previously bashed the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a “lightweight” and an “unacceptable” choice to lead Iran.
The president also suggested Monday night in an interview with Fox News that “I don’t believe he can live in peace,” in reference to the new supreme leader.
