Pete Hegseth says Donald Trump controls the tempo of the struggle, however acknowledges that Israel has its personal aims.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has declared that the US is “successful” within the combat in opposition to Iran, however he declined to supply a timeline as to when the struggle would finish, stressing that call lies with President Donald Trump.
Hegseth instructed reporters on Tuesday that the US is concentrated on three important aims: to neutralise Tehran’s missile capabilities, destroy its navy and “completely deny Iran nuclear weapons without end”.
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“We is not going to relent till the enemy is completely and decisively defeated,” Hegseth mentioned.
“We achieve this on our timeline and at our selecting. For instance, at present will likely be but once more, our most intense day of strikes inside Iran – probably the most fighters, probably the most bombers, probably the most strikes.”
Regardless of Washington’s repeated assertions that Iran is being defeated, Iranian leaders have projected defiance, promising to proceed to combat again.
“These mightier than you haven’t been capable of eradicate our nation. Those that have tried have change into eradicated themselves,” high official Ali Larijani mentioned in a social media submit on Tuesday.
Iran has constantly denied looking for a nuclear weapon and says its programme is peaceable. Following US strikes on a number of key Iranian nuclear services in June 2025, Trump claimed that the US had “obliterated” the Iranian nuclear programme.
Iran has responded to the US-Israeli strikes, which have killed the nation’s Supreme Chief Ali Khamenei and extra than 1,250 other people, with missile and drone assaults in opposition to Israel and throughout the complete area.
The Iranian army has additionally attacked oil services in Gulf nations and largely succeeded in closing the Strait of Hormuz, a serious transport lane for the power commerce, sending gasoline costs hovering.
Late on Monday, Trump threatened Iran with “loss of life, hearth, and fury” if it doesn’t enable oil shipments to cross via the strait.
Larijani, who serves because the secretary of the Supreme Nationwide Safety Council of Iran, hit again on the US president, saying that the Strait of Hormuz “will both be a Strait of peace and prosperity for all or will likely be a Strait of defeat and struggling for warmongers”.
Prime US Common Dan Caine mentioned that US forces are persevering with to “hunt and strike mine-laying vessels” within the Gulf.
Trump recommended final week that the US Navy may accompany oil vessels via the strait to make sure their security.
However Caine recommended on Tuesday that the choice to make use of the US army to reopen the waterway has not been taken.
“If tasked to escort, we’ll have a look at the vary of choices to set the army circumstances to have the ability to try this,” he mentioned.
Final week, Israel struck oil depots in Tehran, sparking fires and large plumes of smoke throughout the town. The transfer has been criticised by some staunch supporters of the struggle.
Hegseth acknowledged that Israel has its personal objectives for the battle.
He mentioned the assault on Iranian power infrastructure was not “essentially” a US goal.
“Israel has been a very sturdy associate on this effort. The place they’ve totally different aims, they pursued them. Finally, we’ve stayed targeted on ours,” the Pentagon chief mentioned.
Though Hegseth spelled out particular goals for the struggle, Trump has been shifting the goals – starting from “freedom” for Iranians to putting in an Iranian chief from throughout the governing system who’s prepared to reply US and Israeli calls for.
Requested how lengthy the struggle would final, Hegseth mentioned: “The president has set a really particular mission to perform, and our job is to unrelentingly ship that. Now, he will get to regulate the throttle. He’s the one deciding.”
