Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine spoke to the media on Monday, March 2.
This is the first Pentagon press conference since the US-Israeli operation against Iran.
Operation Epic Fury began on Saturday February 28.
Here are the key takeaways from their remarks.
1. “We did not start this war, but we are finishing it”
Hegseth opened the conference by presenting the conflict as the culmination of decades of Iranian aggression. He cited that Iranian attacks date back to the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing and recent strikes against U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hegseth said: “For 47 long years, the Iranian regime has waged a savage, one-sided war against America. We did not start this war, but under the leadership of President Trump, we are finishing it.”
He also noted that the United States’ primary objectives are “laser-focused” on destroying Iran’s missiles. It also aims to damage Iran’s missile production capabilities and naval infrastructure and ensure that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons.
2. Four soldiers died
Caine confirmed that the United States suffered its fourth combat death since operations began, with the service member succumbing to injuries caused by Iranian counterattacks.
Commenting on this, Hegseth said: “War is hell and always will be. Our grateful nation honors the four Americans we have lost so far and those who have been wounded, America’s absolute best.”
Caine also warned that additional casualties would be expected as the operation continued.
3. No US ground forces in Iran
Hegseth confirmed that U.S. ground forces have not entered Iran and refused to rule out that possibility as the operation evolves.
Criticizing the previous Pentagon administration for leaking operational details, he said: “We’re going to do exercises on what we will or won’t do. We’ll go as far as we need to.”
General Caine later confirmed that additional forces were streaming into the Middle East.
4. The US-Iran war is not endless, but the timeline remains unclear
Hegseth said: “This isn’t Iraq. It’s not endless. I was there for both. Our generation knows better, and so does this president.”
However, he also mentioned that Iranian capabilities will not be destroyed “overnight.” Asked about the precise duration, Hegseth became contradictory, saying Trump had “all the latitude in the world” to determine whether the operation would take “four weeks, two weeks, six weeks.”
5. The aim of the operation is not a change of diet
While describing carefully, Hegseth said the aim of the operation is not regime change, even if Iran’s supreme leader was killed.
Hegseth said: “This is not a so-called war of regime change, but the regime has certainly changed, and the world is better off for it. »
He viewed Iran’s political transition as a happy outcome rather than a primary goal.
