Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Tuesday would be the “most intense day” of strikes against Iran so far, and that “ultimately” President Trump “gets to determine the end stage of those objectives” in the Islamic Republic.
“Today will be, yet again, our most intense day of strikes inside Iran — the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes,” Hegseth said at a news briefing.
Dan Caine, the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. military has struck more than 5,000 targets since the start of the war and that ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran had resulted in a 90% reduction in the Islamic Republic’s missile launches against Israel and Persian Gulf allies.
Caine, speaking at the news briefing, identified three military objectives: continue destroying missiles and drone capability; striking the Iranian navy and targeting Iran’s military and industrial base.
Iran on Tuesday launched new attacks at Gulf Arab countries, while Israeli strikes also hit southern and eastern Lebanon, amid concerns in the U.S. about being embroiled in a long-term conflict. The stated timeline for the conflict has been inconsistent.
But Hegseth said that “this is not 2003, this is not endless nation-building under those types of quagmires we saw under Bush or Obama.”
“Our generation understands this fight,” Hegseth said at the opening of the briefing. “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, now they race toward a nuclear bomb to hold the world hostage.”
Hegseth said Iranian leaders are “desperate, scrambling,” and that the U.S. and its allies are “winning.”
Hegseth, asked about reports that newly named Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has been wounded, said that his status was “not something I can comment on right now.”
Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was named Iran’s new supreme leader after his father was killed on the first day of U.S.-Israeli strikes. Mr. Trump told Fox News on Tuesday that he was “not happy” with the selection of Khamenei to replace his father, adding, “I don’t believe he can live in peace.”
Seven American service members have died in the war. Caine said the Joint Force remains “eternally grateful for your sacrifice and the gift of a great example that your service members have given all of us.”
Mr. Trump told CBS News on Monday that he believes the “war is very complete, pretty much,” adding that “there’s nothing left in a military sense.”
But despite Mr. Trump’s messaging, the Defense Department posted a video on social media with the caption “We have Only Just Begun to Fight.”
In an interview with 60 Minutes that aired Sunday, Hegseth said Mr. Trump’s comments that the U.S. will only accept unconditional surrender means “we’re fightin’ to win. It means we set the terms.”
“This is war. This is conflict. This is bringing your enemy to their knees. Now, whether they will have a ceremony in Tehran Square and surrender, that’s up to them,” Hegseth said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told PBS News on Monday that the country is prepared to continue attacking Israel “with our missiles as long as needed and as long as it takes.”
Mr. Trump has floated the possibility of “taking over” the Strait of Hormuz if Iran blocks the waterway, through which 20% of the world’s oil supply flows. Oil prices swung wildly on Monday amid the uncertainty in the Middle East, rising at one point to $119 a barrel, the highest price since 2022 amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
