Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that U.S. forces are ready to strike again if Iran violates the ceasefire, as he and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine defended Operation Epic Fury in a Pentagon briefing.
Hegseth described the operation as a major U.S. military success. He said that the campaign had destroyed important parts of Iran’s missile and drone capabilities, crippled its navy, and wiped out its larger air defense network. He argued that the pressure from the campaign forced Tehran to accept a ceasefire.
Hegseth also said that the operation made a new chance for diplomacy. He said that Iran agreed to the ceasefire because of overwhelming military pressure. He also stated that Washington now anticipates Tehran to uphold its commitments and engage in negotiations for a more comprehensive agreement.
He repeated again what the administration had said: Iran will not be able to get back on the path to getting a nuclear weapon. Hegseth said that U.S. officials know what Iran can still do and that the new Iranian government knows it will never be able to make a nuclear weapon.
Hegseth, Caine Hold Press Conference: Watch video
A lot of what he said went beyond the battlefield. Hegseth linked the operation to past attacks on Americans that were backed by Iran, like the deaths of U.S. troops in Iraq from Iranian-made roadside bombs. He also praised the troops who fought in the campaign and paid tribute to the families of those who died in earlier wars.
Caine used the briefing to spell out the mission in simpler military terms. He said President Donald Trump ordered the Joint Force on Feb. 28 to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile and drone capability, destroy the Iranian navy, and break its defense industrial base. He also said the fighting was difficult, chaotic, and full of uncertainty, but said U.S. personnel kept moving forward. In the pentagon briefing, Caine also briefed about the rescue of two American airmen from Iran, calling it one of the clearest examples of sacrifice and duty during the operation.
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