By Amjad Qaimkhani
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has stated that the ongoing conflict with Iran is fundamentally different from America’s past wars, as he and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff briefed media on the progress of military operations. Hegseth emphasized that the operation aims to conduct decisive action, with objectives remaining unchanged since day one under the America First president’s direction .
The Secretary of War declared that American soldiers killed in the Iran conflict will always be remembered, addressing the nation directly to counter what he described as media narratives of an “endless abyss” or “quagmire” . He revealed that Iran’s ballistic missile manufacturing capability has potentially suffered severe damage, with attacks against US forces down 90 percent since the conflict began .
According to Hegseth, US forces have struck 7,000 military targets across Iran, destroyed 11 Iranian submarines, and crippled the country’s radar and defense systems . The US Navy has damaged or sunk 120 Iranian vessels, leaving their surface fleet “no longer a factor” and their submarines “gone” . Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine confirmed that US Central Command remains “on plan” and “unrelenting” in targeting Iranian missile systems and naval forces, utilizing 5,000lb penetrative weapons designed to destroy underground facilities .
General Caine detailed that US artillery forces have made history by firing the first Precision Strike Missiles ever used in combat, while Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) have sunk multiple ships including a submarine . Hegseth further stated that senior officials of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been eliminated, describing such positions as “temp jobs” no one would want . The White House has asserted that joint US-Israeli operations have produced “massive results,” with Iran’s ballistic missile capacity “functionally destroyed” and its navy assessed as “combat ineffective” .
