Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine addressed 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.
These are the main conclusions of his comments.
1. “We didn’t start this war, but we are ending it”
Hegseth began the conference by framing the conflict as the culmination of decades of Iranian aggression. He cited Iranian attacks dating back to the bombing of the Beirut barracks in 1983 and recent attacks on US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hegseth said: “For 47 long years, the Iranian regime has waged a savage, unilateral war against the United States. We did not start this war, but under President Trump, we are ending it.”
He also noted that the United States’ primary goals are “laser focused” on destroying Iran’s missiles. It also focuses on damaging Iran’s missile production capabilities and naval infrastructure and ensuring that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons.
2. Four service members are dead.
Caine confirmed that the United States has suffered its fourth combat death since operations began, with the service member succumbing to wounds from Iran’s counterattacks.
Commenting on it, Hegseth said: “War is hell and always will be. Our grateful nation honors the four Americans we have lost so far and the wounded, the best of America.”
Caine also warned that more casualties are expected as the operation continues.
3. There are no US ground forces in Iran
Hegseth confirmed that U.S. ground forces have not entered Iran and declined to rule out the possibility as the operation evolves.
Criticizing the previous Pentagon administration for revealing operational details, he said: “We’re going to get into exercises of what we will or won’t do. We’ll go as far as we need to.”
General Caine later confirmed that additional forces are flowing into the Middle East.
4. The US-Iran war is not endless, but the timeline remains unclear
Hegseth said: “This is not Iraq. This is 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.” When asked about the exact duration, Hegseth appeared hostile, stating that Trump has “all the freedom in the world” to determine whether the operation will last “four weeks, two weeks, six weeks.”
5. The objective of the operation is not regime change
Although he described it carefully, Hegseth stated that the goal of the operation is not regime change, even though Iran’s supreme leader has been assassinated.
Hegseth said: “This is not a so-called war of regime change, but the regime did change and the world is better off for it.”
He viewed Iran’s leadership transition as a fortunate byproduct rather than a primary goal.
