Hegseth Insists The Iran Conflict Is 'not Endless' And Declares, 'we Fight To Win'

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth connected Monday said to widening concerns that nan U.S.-Israeli strikes successful Iran could spiral into a prolonged location conflict by declaring, “This is not Iraq. This is not endless.”

Hegseth, on pinch Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, president of nan Joint Chiefs of Staff, held nan Trump administration’s first news briefing since Saturday’s strikes. President Donald Trump, while he’s conducted a fewer telephone interviews pinch individual reporters, has not taken questions connected camera and only released 2 videos since nan cognition began.

Hegseth said nan cognition had a “clear, devastating, decisive mission” to “destroy nan rocket threat” from Iran, destruct its navy and “no nukes.”

“No stupid rules of engagement, nary federation building quagmire, nary populist building exercise, nary politically correct wars. We conflict to win, and we don’t discarded clip aliases lives,” Hegseth said.

Asked if location are presently boots connected nan crushed successful Iran, Hegseth said, “No, but we’re not going to spell into nan workout of what we will aliases will not do.”

He said it was “foolishness” to expect U.S. officials to opportunity publically “here’s precisely really acold we’ll go.”

He besides suggested nan U.S. was not seeking to alteration nan Iraninan authorities pinch nan sidesplitting of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,

“This is not a alleged authorities alteration war, but nan authorities judge did alteration and nan world is amended disconnected for it,” Hegseth said.

The briefing comes arsenic nan conflict has intensified into a wider warfare successful nan region. Iran and its allied equipped groups person launched missiles astatine Israel, Arab states and U.S. subject targets successful nan Middle East.

Four American troops person been killed successful action. Trump connected Sunday predicted location would beryllium much U.S. casualties.

Caine connected Monday said nan U.S. expected to person further losses.

“We grieve pinch you, and we will ne'er hide you,” he said of nan family members of those killed.

The latest motion of nan escalating upheaval came erstwhile U.S. state Kuwait “mistakenly changeable down” 3 American combatant jets during a combat ngo arsenic Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones were attacking. U.S. Central Command said each six pilots ejected safely from nan American F-15E Strike Eagles and were successful unchangeable condition.

U.S. officials person not offered immoderate exit scheme aliases offered signs that nan conflict would extremity anytime soon, and nan Khamenei formed uncertainty connected nan early of nan Islamic Republic and hurtled nan region into broader instability.

In laying retired a lawsuit for nan strikes, Hegseth pointed to nan Iranian authorities arsenic having started nan conflict from its inception, declaring that for 47 years it has “waged a savage, one-sided warfare against America.”

“Their warfare connected Americans has go our retribution against their Ayatolloah and his decease cult,” he said.

He did not constituent to immoderate threat of an imminent atomic threat from Iran, and he said again that past summer’s strikes by nan U.S. and Israel “obliterated their atomic programme to rubble.”

Instead, Hegseth pointed to threats from different weaponry specified arsenic ballistic missiles and drones that justified nan operation.

“Iran was building powerful missiles and drones to create a accepted shield for their atomic blackmail ambitions,” Hegseth said.

He said that during negotiations pinch U.S. officials starring up to nan attack, Iranian officials were “stalling.”

“The erstwhile authorities had each chance to make a serene and sensible deal. But Tehran was not negotiating,” Hegseth said.

Trump, successful an question and reply Sunday pinch The New York Times, said nan battle could past “four to 5 weeks.”

Hegseth dismissed questions astir nan clip framework and said, “President Trump has each nan latitude successful nan world to talk astir really agelong it whitethorn aliases whitethorn not take. Four weeks, 2 weeks, six weeks. It could move up. It could move back.”

The Republican president said nan U.S. and Israel had struck hundreds of targets already. That included Israel and nan U.S. bombing Iranian rocket sites and targeted its navy, claiming to person destroyed its office and aggregate warships.

Caine said that, arsenic pinch nan cognition that dropped monolithic bunker-buster bombs connected Iranian atomic accommodation past year, Epic Fury besides utilized B-2 stealth bombers, which nan president said made a 37-hour information trip.

Caine respective times referenced nan usage of cyber technologies successful nan strikes, which he said had “effectively disrupted communications and sensor networks,” leaving “the adversary without nan expertise to coordinate aliases respond effectively.”

Without giving specifics, Caine said nan U.S. subject “delivered synchronized and layered effects designed to disrupt, degrade, contradict and destruct Iran’s expertise to behaviour and sustained combat operations connected nan U.S. side.”

The Iranian Red Crescent Society said astatine slightest 555 group person been killed successful Iran truthful acold by nan U.S.-Israeli campaign. Eleven group person been killed successful Israel and 31 successful Lebanon, according to authorities there.

The news convention came hours earlier Secretary of State Marco Rubio was slated to little legislature activity connected Monday.

Rubio, Hegseth, Caine and CIA Director John Ratcliffe were besides group to little nan afloat rank of Congress connected Tuesday.

In a backstage briefing connected Sunday, Trump management officials told legislature unit that U.S. intelligence did not propose Iran was preparing to motorboat a preemptive onslaught against nan U.S., 3 group acquainted pinch nan briefings said.

The management officials alternatively acknowledged location was a much wide threat successful nan region from Iran’s missiles and proxy forces, 2 of nan group said. The 3rd person, however, said nan management emphasized that Iran’s missiles and proxy forces posed an imminent threat to U.S. unit and friends successful nan region.

The accusation conveyed to nan legislature unit contrasts pinch nan connection from Trump, who said nan nonsubjective of nan ngo was to destruct “imminent threats from nan Iranian regime.”

Senior Trump management officials, who for illustration others were not authorized to remark publically and said connected nan information of anonymity, had told reporters Saturday that location were indicators that nan Iranians could motorboat a preemptive attack.

Price and Toropin constitute for nan Associated Press. Associated Press writers Meg Kinnard successful Charleston, S.C., Bill Barrow successful Atlanta, David Klepper and Ben Finley successful Washington and Farnoush Amiri successful New York contributed to this report.