Month: March 2026

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday defended the expanding U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, describing it as precise, mission-driven and necessary to counter Tehran’s missile capabilities and nuclear ambitions. Standing beside Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine at the Pentagon, Hegseth said the operation is narrowly aimed, and will not become another prolonged conflict in the Middle East.

“The mission of Operation Epic Fury is laser-focused,” Hegseth said, outlining objectives that include eliminating Iran’s offensive missile systems, crippling missile production, dismantling naval assets and preventing the country from ever obtaining nuclear weapons. He added that U.S. forces are striking “surgically, overwhelmingly and unapologetically.”

The campaign, launched over the weekend by U.S. and Israeli forces, has already resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, along with other senior figures. President Donald Trump authorized the operation Friday, approving what officials call “Operation Epic Fury.”

While Trump has suggested the conflict could continue “four weeks or less” — and in another interview estimated four to five weeks — Hegseth declined to commit to a timetable. “President Trump has all the latitude in the world to talk about how long it may or may not take,” he said, stressing the military will execute the mission as directed. At the same time, he rejected comparisons to past wars, stating, “This is not Iraq,” and insisting the effort would not be “endless.”

Hegseth confirmed there are currently no U.S. “boots on the ground” in Iran but would not rule out future options. He framed the strikes as retaliation, arguing that Iran’s “stubborn and self-evident nuclear pursuit,” ballistic missile expansion and attacks on global shipping left the U.S. little choice. “We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it,” he said. “Their war on Americans has become our retribution against their Ayatollah and his death cult.”

Despite the killing of Iran’s top leader, Hegseth denied the mission is about regime change. “This is not a so-called regime-change war,” he said, though he added that the outcome has altered Iran’s leadership and “the world is better off for it.”

Gen. Caine detailed the scope of the opening assault: more than 100 aircraft launched in a coordinated wave from land and sea, alongside unmanned systems. U.S. Navy Tomahawk missiles struck first, targeting Iranian naval forces along the country’s southern coast. Cyber operations disrupted communications and air defenses, and B-2 bombers carried out lengthy round-trip missions reminiscent of last year’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Caine cautioned that the campaign amounts to “major combat operations” and acknowledged the likelihood of further casualties. Four U.S. service members have been killed so far after Iran struck a fortified tactical command center. “We expected to take additional losses,” he said.

The conflict has rapidly widened. Iran and allied forces have launched missile attacks on Israel, U.S. installations and Gulf nations. At least 11 people have been reported killed in Israel, while the Iranian Red Crescent says 555 people have died in Iran. In Kuwait, three U.S. F-15E fighter jets were downed in what Central Command described as a friendly fire incident; all crew members survived. Smoke was also seen rising from the U.S. Embassy there following an apparent missile strike.

As battle damage assessments continue, U.S. officials maintain the operation remains focused on degrading Iran’s military capabilities rather than occupying the country. “No nation-building quagmire,” Hegseth said. “We fight to win.”

Editorial credit: Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock.com

Fighting between the United States, Israel and Iran intensified for a third straight day as American forces continued sweeping strikes inside Iran and Tehran retaliated across the region.

U.S. Central Command said B-1 bombers flew missions overnight, targeting ballistic missile infrastructure. In a statement posted on X, CENTCOM said the aircraft “struck deep inside Iran to degrade Iranian ballistic missile capabilities,” adding, “As the President stated, ‘we’re going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground.’”

The joint U.S.-Israeli offensive has hit thousands of sites, including military and missile facilities, following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. According to Iran’s Red Crescent, more than 550 people have died in Iran since the campaign began.

Tehran has responded with missile and drone barrages aimed at Israel, U.S. bases and Gulf nations. At least 11 people have been killed in Israel, with additional fatalities reported in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain. In Lebanon, the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia launched fresh attacks on Israel, prompting Israeli counterstrikes that Lebanese officials say killed dozens.

The Pentagon originally stated Monday that four U.S. service members have died in the conflict, with 18 others seriously wounded. Officials said the latest fatalities occurred during a strike in Kuwait, with Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine telling reporters the casualties stemmed from an attack on a tactical operations center.

Later on Monday, the U.S. military said the number of Americans killed following the start of Operation Epic Fury now stands at six, following the recovery of the remains of two service members who were previously unaccounted for Two Defense Department personnel were injured during Iran’s retaliatory attack on a hotel in Bahrain over the weekend (per CBS News).

CENTCOM said in a release on X: “As of 4 pm ET, March 2, six U.S. service members have been killed in action. U.S. forces recently recovered the remains of two previously unaccounted for service members from a facility that was struck during Iran’s initial attacks in the region. Major combat operations continue. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification.” The names of the fallen troops will be withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification.

In a separate incident, three U.S. F-15 fighter jets were shot down in what the military described as a “friendly fire incident,” though all crew members survived.

President Trump defended the operation during remarks at the White House, calling it essential to eliminate what he described as an escalating missile and nuclear threat. He said Iran’s nuclear program had been obliterated during last year’s U.S. strikes, known as “Operation Midnight Hammer,” but claimed Tehran ignored warnings not to rebuild. “An Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat to the Middle East, but also to the American people,” Trump said, adding that the U.S. was “very nearly under threat.”

Trump said the campaign could last four to five weeks but emphasized that the military is prepared to continue longer if required. “Whatever it takes, we will always — and we have right from the beginning, we projected four to five weeks, but we have the capability to go far longer than that,” he said. Dismissing suggestions he might lose interest, Trump added, “I don’t get bored. There’s nothing boring about this.”

In an interview with the New York Post, Trump declined to rule out deploying U.S. ground forces. “I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground — like every president says, ‘There will be no boots on the ground.’ I don’t say it,” he said. “I say, ‘probably don’t need them,’ [or] ‘if they were necessary.’”

Meanwhile, Iran’s senior security official, Ali Larijani, rejected diplomatic overtures, declaring, “we will not negotiate with the United States,” despite Trump’s assertion that Iranian officials “are talking.”

Editorial credit: Pierre Laborde / Shutterstock.com