U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a press conference alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, warning Iran against escalating attacks against American forces. In his remarks, Hegseth said the United States and Israel have so far struck more than 15,000 targets in Iran and warned that “today will be the most intense day of bombing.”
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Hegseth: 'Trump controls the tempo and the intensity, and holds the cards.'
(Photo: Konstantin Toropin/AP)
“All of Iran’s defense industry sites will soon be destroyed,” Hegseth vowed. He added that Iran’s leadership is “desperate and hiding.” “They’ve gone underground, cowering in fear. That’s what rats do,” he said. Despite that claim, several senior Iranian officials appeared in public earlier today during Iran’s “Jerusalem Day,” including Ali Larijani, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
At the start of his remarks, Hegseth said: “We are destroying the Iranian regime in a way never seen before. We said this would not be a fair fight, and it hasn’t been.” He praised Israel and said the cooperation between the two countries’ air forces has been unprecedented. “Ten days ago, the two best air forces in the world went out and operated in extraordinary cooperation that cannot happen anywhere else,” he said. “The Revolutionary Guards and the regime see the stars and stripes and the Star of David, while the world sees their absolute desperation. They don’t know how to deal with it.”
According to Hegseth, U.S. President Donald Trump “intends to thwart and destroy their capabilities completely.” “Their navy is being destroyed. Their air force has shrunk. They have no ability to rebuild it,” he said. “Soon all of their defense industries will be destroyed. We intercept everything they fire and prevent them from rebuilding.” Hegseth also accused Iran’s leadership of hiding among civilians and confirmed that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late supreme leader and his successor, was wounded. “The new supreme leader is wounded and we haven’t heard from him,” he said. “He calls for unity while slaughtering his own people. His father is dead, and he is wounded and hunted. They are in total chaos. President Trump controls the tempo and the intensity. He holds the cards.”
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US Joint Chiefs chairman Caine confirms the aircraft did not crash due to enemy fire
(Photo: Jim WATSON / AFP)
Gen. Caine addressed the crash of a U.S. aerial refueling aircraft in Iraq that killed at least four American crew members. “They were not struck by enemy fire,” Caine said. “It reminds us of the price of sacrifice by our air force and our fighters.” Asked about the deadly strike on a girls school, Hegseth said the United States would not allow media reports to restrict military operations.
“CENTCOM is conducting an investigation that will continue until there are conclusions,” he said. “When I look at us and our enemies there is a difference. They strike intentionally, and we do everything we can not to do that.”