'This is Not Iraq, This is Not Endless' Says U.S. Secretary on Iran

World 07:22 PM - 2026-03-02

U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a press conference on US military action in Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, 2 March 2026.

Operation Epic Fury will continue without a public time frame, U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday, noting that the U.S. mission in Iran is not a "regime-change war," while the Pentagon warned more American casualties are expected.

Hegseth said the United States "didn’t start this war, but we’ll finish it," accusing the Iranian regime of waging war against the U.S. "for 47 long years" through proxy attacks.

"They did it through the blood of our people. Car bombs in Beirut, rocket attacks on our ships, murders at our embassies, roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan funded and armed by Iranian Quds Force and IRGC killers," Hegseth stated at the Pentagon.

He described 'Operation Epic Fury', military operation launched by U.S. against Iran, as "the most lethal, most complex and most precise aerial operation in history," saying Iran "was building powerful missiles and drones to create a conventional shield for their nuclear blackmail ambitions."

"Iran had a conventional gun to our head as they tried to lie their way to a nuclear bomb," he stated.

No Time Frame for 'Operation Epic Fury'

Hegseth declined to estimate how long Operation Epic Fury would last.

"As far as time frame, I would never hang a time frame," Hegseth said, adding that U.S. President Donald Trump "has all the latitude in the world" to describe whether it may take "four weeks, two weeks, six weeks," and that timelines "could move up" or "move back."

He said the U.S. would "execute what we need on our own timeline" and carry out objectives "at his command."

Hegseth said Iran has long-range strike capabilities "which we are hyper focused on."

Mission Objectives and No 'Endless War'

Hegseth said the mission is "laser-focused" on destroying Iranian offensive missiles, missile production, the navy and other security infrastructure to ensure "they will never have nuclear weapons."

"This is not Iraq. This is not endless," he said, rejecting comparisons to past U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"To the media outlets and political left screaming endless wars, stop," Hegseth stated.

He said the campaign involves "no stupid rules of engagement, no nation-building quagmire, no democracy building exercise, no politically correct wars."

"We fight to win and we don’t waste time or lives," he said, adding, "War is hell."

Hegseth also said, "This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change and the world is better off for it."

His remarks followed U.S. and Israeli strikes launched 28 February 2026 that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top security officials.

Casualties and Ongoing U.S. Operations Against Iran

Four U.S. service members have been killed in the conflict, U.S. Central Command said Monday. The latest died after being "seriously wounded during Iran’s initial attacks," according to an X post.

"This is not a single overnight operation," Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated, adding that, "The military objectives that CENTCOM and the Joint Force have been tasked with will take some time to achieve and in some cases will be difficult and gritty work."

"We expect to take additional losses and as always, we will work to minimise U.S. losses," he said.

Caine said "operations will remain active across the theater and across the globe," and that U.S. forces are postured "to maintain pressure, but to respond and adapt as required."

He warned those who "would test our resolve or threaten the United States, our allies or interests" that "we can reach you, we can sustain the fight, and we can scale the fight, and we will prevail."

'No U.S. Boots on the Ground in Iran, But Options Open'

Hegseth also stated that there are currently no U.S. "boots on the ground" in Iran but refused to rule out future steps.

"We’re not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do," he stated, calling it "foolishness" to publicly outline military plans.

He said the United States would "go as far as we need to go to advance American interests," but added, "We're not dumb about it. You don’t have to roll 200,000 people in there and stay for 20 years."

Source: U.S. War Secretary Pete's press briefing



PUKMEDIA