Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine outlined the progress of U.S. military operations against Iran during a briefing, saying American forces have struck thousands of targets and are continuing to dismantle the country’s military infrastructure as the conflict enters its tenth day.
Opening the briefing, Hegseth described the broader context of the confrontation with Iran and accused the regime of decades of violence through regional proxies while pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities.
“Our generation understands this fight. For 47 years, these barbarians have been murdering your guys, our guys, via their proxies. Now they are racing toward a nuclear bomb. They have murdered thousands of my brothers. President Trump will not allow this now. Not ever. As they are cowards, they fire missiles from schools and hospitals, because they know their military is being targeted.”
Hegseth continued by asserting that Iran is increasingly isolated and losing ground in the conflict.
“Iran stands alone and they are badly losing. On day 10, we are winning. Our standards are the same as my previous report here. We will destroy their missile stockpiles and their ability to make them. Destroy their navy and their ability to make nuclear missiles forever.”
He added that the campaign is being carried out to fulfill the objectives set by President Trump.
“As President Trump declared, we will not let that happen again. Those days are dead. We are winning and accomplishing the president’s objectives. This is our job.”
Gen. Dan Caine then addressed the sacrifices made by American service members during the war and emphasized that those who lost their lives will not be forgotten as operations continue.
Speaking about the ongoing campaign, Caine said that U.S. forces are expanding their attacks deeper into Iran’s defense and industrial infrastructure.
“We are continuing our mission – going deeper into Iran’s military and industrial base, to ensure peace in years to come.”
He reported that thousands of targets have already been struck during the campaign.
“Today we struck more than 5,000 targets, GPS penetrating weapons. We also struck drone factories, and of course, our regional partners continue to intercept. Our strikes mean we made significant progress in missiles out of Iran.”
Caine also detailed efforts aimed at crippling Iran’s naval capabilities.
“We are making significant progress in destroying the navy. We struck and sank an Iranian ship and continue to target other ships. We focus on centers of gravity to prevent them from continuing one-way attacks. This is gritty and tireless work and I am proud of our forces. They are a world-class team.”
He praised the troops carrying out the mission, emphasizing their dedication and professionalism.
“These are dedicated young people who are doing the work that we need them to do.”
Caine concluded his remarks by acknowledging the difficulty of the ongoing mission and paying tribute to those serving in uniform.
“Our work continues. It continues to be difficult. Please keep our forces in your thoughts. I remain deeply humbled by the 2.8 million members of the forces, as well as the memories of the fallen.”
Hegseth also issued a warning directed at Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, cautioning him against advancing Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
He said that Khamenei “would be wise to heed the words of our President not to pursue nuclear weapons.”
When asked how long the operation might last, Hegseth responded that the United States currently holds a strong strategic position and that the final timeline will be determined by President Trump.
He noted that the U.S. was “in a very strong place, giving the President a lot of options,” and clarified that “we haven’t stated how long it would take. Our will is endless. Ultimatly the President gets to determine the end state of those objectives. But what he said continuously is that this is not endless, it’s not protracted; the President has set a very specific mission to accomplish.”
Addressing questions about differences between American and Israeli targets, particularly Israeli strikes on Iranian fuel depots, Hegseth stressed the close cooperation between the two allies while noting that each country maintains its own objectives.
“Israel has been a very strong partner in this effort. Where they’ve had different objectives, they’ve pursued them, and we’ve stayed focused on ours. But what Iran has felt is the power of the world’s two most powerful air forces.”
He added that American operations were not aimed at those fuel facilities.
“That wasn’t our objective.”
Hegseth also responded to critics within the United States who oppose the military operation, saying the administration is acting decisively and independently.
“The President has made it clear that we’re not getting pulled in any direction, we’re leading. The President is leading, he’s determining where we want to go, what the outcome will be.”
He acknowledged that many Americans remain wary after years of U.S. involvement in conflicts across the Middle East, which he said had often drawn the country into prolonged wars.
Discussing Iran’s attacks against other countries in the region, Hegseth called the moves a strategic miscalculation that exposed the regime’s desperation.
He described the attacks as a “big mistake on Iran’s part” and said they “expose who they really are.”
He added that while the U.S. had considered such retaliation possible, Iran’s actions ultimately strengthened cooperation between Washington and its regional partners.
“I can’t say that we anticipated that that’s exactly how they would react, but we knew it was a possibility. I think it was a demonstration of the desperation of the regime then and now, that they still think their pathway out is to try to alienate their Arab partners even more, who instead came to us, and were willing to go on the offense and have given us access to fly over them.”
According to Hegseth, the situation has fostered a new level of regional collaboration.
He said this has created “a new partnership that will continue making the region the way that President Trump did with the Abraham accords.”
{Matzav.com}
