War Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that Operation Epic Fury is dismantling Iran's military capabilities, emphasizing the campaign's focus on specific objectives and the U.S.'s control over its timeline. Hegseth highlighted the personal significance of the conflict, citing past experiences with Iranian-backed militias.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that Iran ’s military power is “being systematically degraded and annihilated” as Operation Epic Fury entered its tenth day, declaring the campaign will end “on our timeline and at our choosing” while forcefully pushing back against suggestions it could devolve into another prolonged Middle East conflict.
Speaking during a Pentagon briefing alongside the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, Hegseth outlined battlefield progress while stressing the military operation ordered by President Donald Trump remains tightly focused on specific objectives aimed at dismantling Iran’s ability to threaten the United States and its allies. Hegseth framed the conflict as deeply personal, recalling his own experience confronting Iranian-backed militias during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “As someone who led troops in the streets of Baghdad and Samarra and trained counterinsurgents in Kabul — and who still carries the weight of brothers lost to Iranian terrorist proxies — this fight hits home,” he said.He pointed to the Iranian regime’s decades-long record of backing militant groups responsible for attacks that killed and maimed American troops. “For 47 years, these barbaric savages in the Iranian regime have murdered our brothers in arms — my guys, your guys, our guys — through their terrorist proxies and cowardly attacks,” Hegseth said.“That race to a nuclear bomb — President Trump will never allow it. Not now, not ever, not on our watch.”Hegseth said sustained U.S. and allied strikes are dismantling Iran’s military infrastructure while exposing the regime’s desperation.“Like the terrorist cowards they are, they fire missiles from schools and hospitals, deliberately targeting innocents because they know their military is being systematically degraded and annihilated.”“Iran’s neighbors — and in some cases former allies in the Gulf — have abandoned them,” Hegseth said. “Their proxies — Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas — are either broken, ineffective, or on the sidelines.”“Not 2003”: No Nation-Building, No Mission Creep Hegseth underscored that the campaign bears no resemblance to the long, open-ended wars that followed the 2003 invasion of Iraq.“This is not endless nation-building under those types of quagmires we saw under Bush or Obama. It’s not even close.”Instead, the war secretary said U.S. forces are pursuing a tightly scoped mission under Trump’s direction. “It’s a laser-focused, maximum-authority mission delivered with overwhelming and unrelenting precision — no hesitation, no half measures,” he said.“It’s not protracted. We’re not allowing mission creep.”Hegseth said the tempo and duration of the campaign will ultimately be determined by the commander-in-chief.“But we do so on our timeline and at our choosing.” “Our will is endless,” he added, explaining that President Trump ultimately determines when the mission’s objectives have been achieved.The campaign’s goals, he stressed, remain tightly defined.Operational Update: Iran’s Capabilities CollapsingU.S. and allied forces have struck more than 5,000 targets across Iran since the start of Operation Epic Fury. Ballistic missile attacks launched from Iran have dropped 90 percent since the campaign began, he said, while one-way attack drone launches have fallen 83 percent.“In the first ten days of the conflict, we have destroyed more than 50 Iranian naval vessels,” Caine said. American aircraft have also targeted missile launch infrastructure, drone production facilities, and key elements of Iran’s military-industrial complex.Hegseth also highlighted coordination with Israel during the campaign.Where the two allies have had different objectives, he noted, each has pursued them independently.He pushed back on claims that the conflict is spreading across the region.“It’s actually the opposite. The conflict remains contained.”Hegseth also warned that Iran would face severe consequences if it attempts to disrupt global oil shipping routes. Referencing a Truth Social message from President Trump on Monday night, he said any attempt by Iran to block traffic through the Strait of Hormuz would trigger an overwhelming U.S. response. “If Iran does anything to stop the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, quoting the president, “they will be hit by the United States twenty times harder than they have been hit thus far.”“We have capabilities that no other nation on earth has,” Hegseth added.Quentin Tarantino Rebukes Rosanna Arquette Calling His Films 'Racist' Filibuster Bluster: John Cornyn Flip-Flops Again on Filibuster Hours After Promising ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Pass SAVE America ActIEA Members Unanimously Approve 400 Million Barrel Oil Reserve Release, Largest Ever‘Melania’ Film Debuts as #1 Movie in America on Amazon PrimeNolte: Hours After Democrat-run WA Passes Wealth Tax, Former Starbucks CEO Flees to FL
Iran Military Operation Epic Fury Pete Hegseth Middle East Conflict
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Iran live updates: Trump claims Operation Epic Fury 'way ahead of schedule'The U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran continues for a 10th day, as both countries vow to press ahead with a military operation that appears to have no end in sight.
Read more »
**Livewire** Operation Epic Fury Day Eleven: The Latest News From Iran and the Middle EastSource of breaking news and analysis, insightful commentary and original reporting, curated and written specifically for the new generation of independent and conservative thinkers.
Read more »
Defense Secretary Hegseth briefs media on Operation Epic Fury Tuesday morningThe news conference comes after Hegseth stressed during an interview with '60 Minutes' that 'this is only the beginning.'
Read more »
US Intensifies Strikes on Iran in Operation Epic Fury, Says Defense SecretaryDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the U.S. is intensifying its strikes inside Iran during Operation Epic Fury. He emphasized that this is not a repeat of past nation-building efforts. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine reported significant progress, including the reduction of Iranian missile and drone attacks. The operation, launched with Israel, has led to substantial damage to Iranian military assets and the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader.
Read more »
Operation Epic Fury: US-Israel Joint Military Action Against Iran Aims to End Decades of ViolenceThe United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury to counter Iran's aggression and destabilizing actions in the Middle East, aiming to degrade Iranian military capabilities and potentially foster regime change.
Read more »
**Livewire** Operation Epic Fury Day Twelve: The Latest News From Iran and the Middle EastSource of breaking news and analysis, insightful commentary and original reporting, curated and written specifically for the new generation of independent and conservative thinkers.
Read more »