Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday mentioned, “Right now might be, but once more, our most intense day of strikes inside Iran.”
“Iran stands alone, and they’re badly dropping on Day 10 of Operation Epic Fury,” Hegseth mentioned at a press convention on the Pentagon with Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees.
US Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks throughout a press convention on US navy motion in Iran, on the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on March 2, 2026.
Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty Pictures
Hegseth mentioned that previously 24 hours, the USA had seen “Iran fireplace the bottom variety of missiles they have been able to firing but,” whilst he condemned Iran for attacking its Gulf neighbors, a few of whom it had been allied with prior to now, with out provocation from these nations.
He vowed the U.S. would ship “essentially the most fighters, essentially the most bombers, essentially the most strikes” towards Iran on Tuesday.
“We’re crushing the enemy in an awesome show of technical ability and navy drive,” he mentioned. “We is not going to relent till the enemy is completely and decisively defeated.”
Hegseth’s aggressive and assured feedback echoed these made a day earlier by President Donald Trump to reporters at his Miami-area golf membership.
Trump had predicted that battle would finish “very quickly,” as a result of the destruction of Iranian navy property was occurring a lot quick than he anticipated when assaults started by the USA and Israel on Feb. 28.
He additionally warned Iran’s ruling regime towards withholding oil from world markets after the battle.
“If Iran does something that stops the circulate of Oil throughout the Strait of Hormuz, they are going to be hit by the USA of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they’ve been hit to date,” Trump wrote later Monday evening in a Fact Social publish.
Hegseth, who initially had predicted that the battle may final between three to eight weeks, advised reporters on Tuesday that Trump now “will get to manage the throttle” for the tempo of the battle, including that the president is “the one deciding … after we’re attaining explicit targets.”
“And so it is not for me to posit whether or not it is the start, the center, or the top,” Hegseth mentioned. “That is his, and he’ll proceed to speak that.”
As Hegseth spoke, authorities in Abu Dhabi confirmed {that a} drone assault by Iran had ignited a fireplace on the oil refinery within the Ruwais Industrial Complicated. No accidents have been instantly reported.
Trump advised Fox Information in an interview on Monday night that he’s “not blissful” that Iran picked Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme chief, to exchange his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed originally of the battle.
“I do not imagine he can reside in peace,” Trump mentioned of Mojtaba Khamenei.
Trump additionally advised Fox that “it is potential” he can be prepared to talk with Iran’s leaders.
“I am listening to they wish to discuss badly,” he mentioned.
At his press convention on Tuesday, Hegseth mentioned of Khamenei, “He can be smart to heed our president and never pursue nuclear weapons.”
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