US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday (local time) addressed concerns that US-Israeli attacks in Iran could escalate into a protracted regional war, adding that “this is not Iraq. This is not endless,” the AP reported.
Hegseth, along with Air Force Gen. Dan Cain, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held the Trump administration’s first news conference since the Feb. 28 strikes. Since the start of the operation, President Donald Trump has not taken any questions on camera, but has conducted several phone interviews with individual reporters and also released two videos.
The US defense secretary said the operation in Iran had a “clear, devastating, decisive mission” to “destroy the missile threat”, destroy its navy and ensure “no nuclear weapons”. He added that this is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime has definitely changed and the world is better off.
Read also | The US-Israel-Iran War: Understanding New Delhi-Tehran Relations Since the 1950s
The US and Israel attacked Iran
Hegseth’s remarks came two days after the US and Israel launched a joint operation in Iran targeting the country’s military and naval forces. The strikes prompted Tehran to retaliate, after which it attacked US bases in some Middle Eastern countries, plunging the entire region into a wider and renewed military confrontation. Iran and its allied armed groups have fired missiles at Israel, Arab states and US bases.
Read also | US-Iran War: Who Will Replace Khamenei and How Is the Supreme Leader Chosen?
Hegseth fends off American strikes
In defense of the strikes, the war minister said the Iranian regime started the conflict decades ago, adding that Tehran had been “waging a savage, one-sided war against America” for 47 years. He said: “Their war against the Americans has become our retaliation against their Ayatollah and his death cult.”
Hegseth did not point to any imminent nuclear threat from Tehran, saying the strikes carried out by the US and Israel in June 2025 “wiped their nuclear program in ruins”. But he hinted at threats from other weapons, including ballistic missiles and drones.
Four US soldiers have been killed so far
So far, four US soldiers have been killed in action, and Trump predicted on March 1 that there could be more casualties. The Air Force general said the U.S. is expected to suffer more casualties. Addressing family members of those killed, Caine said: “We mourn with you and we will never forget you.”
A US ally shot down the fighters
Tensions escalated further on Monday when US ally Kuwait “accidentally shot down” three US fighter jets during a combat mission while targeting Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones. US Central Command said all six pilots ejected safely from the US F-15E Strike Eagles and are in stable condition.
Read also | US military plane crashes in Kuwait amid Iranian retaliation; the crews survive
US-Iran conflict: No exit plan yet
U.S. officials have so far offered no exit plan and no indication that the conflict in Iran will end anytime soon. The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei further deepened uncertainty about the future of the Islamic Republic and pushed the region toward greater instability.
On March 1, Trump said in an interview with The New York Times that the attack could take four to five weeks. He added that Washington and Tel Aviv have already struck hundreds of targets, including bombing missile sites in Iran along with targeting Tehran’s navy. He also claimed that the strikes led to the destruction of his warships.
Death toll in Iran
At least 555 people have been killed so far in the US-Israeli strikes that began on February 28, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
