Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth made a lengthy statement at a briefing, summarizing the results of the “Epic Fury” military operation against Iran.
According to the department’s head, the operation was a historic victory that forced Iran to request a ceasefire. He noted that the 47-year-old threat has now been neutralized.
“Iran has been begging for this ceasefire, and we all know it,” he said.
Hegseth detailed that as a result of more than 800 strikes carried out over the past night, Iran’s defense-industrial base was destroyed, which was one of the main objectives of the operation.
The minister also said that if Iran rejected Washington’s conditions, the next targets would be power plants, bridges, and energy infrastructure, which would take decades to restore.
Turning to Iran’s leadership, Hegseth insisted that the country’s new spiritual leader is wounded and incapacitated.
On nuclear issues, the defense secretary confirmed that the terms of the agreement would completely seize all nuclear material that Tehran is not entitled to possess.
“They know that this agreement means that they will never, ever have a nuclear weapon. Under the terms, any nuclear material they possess without authorization will be removed — all of it. Their facilities are deeply buried and under 24/7 surveillance. Trump has been clear from the beginning: There will be no Iranian nuclear weapons. Total cessation,” Hegseth stressed.
