Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says operations in Iran headed for ‘most intense day’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday would be the “most intense day of strikes” against Iran since the start of the conflict 10 days ago.

He told reporters at the Pentagon that the day’s operations over the skies of Iran would feature “the most fighters (and) the most bombers,” along with intelligence refined to the most exacting levels.

American officials said Tehran’s ability to respond to the U.S.-Israeli coalition that launched Operation Epic Fury and Operation Lion’s Roar has dramatically decreased since the start of hostilities.

The U.S. has struck more than 5,000 Iranian targets, including buried missile launchers that were taken out by dozens of GPS-directed deep penetrating ordnance.

“We’ve made significant progress in reducing the number of missile and drone attacks out of Iran,” said Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Missile launches out of Iran are down 90%, while Tehran’s one-way drone strikes have decreased 83%, Gen. Caine said.

U.S. officials believe American and Israeli combat flyers have effective air superiority over Iran and can strike targets with impunity. 

“Most of [Iran’s] higher and surface-to-air missile systems are not factors at this point,” Gen. Caine said. “We’re able to move around.”

The crucial Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed to normal commercial shipping due to a combination of Iranian threats, military strikes, and concerns from the maritime insurance market. A naval convoy escorting tankers and other merchant vessels through the choke point is now a possibility.

“We’re looking at a range of options there. We’ll figure out how to solve the problems as they come to us,” Gen. Caine said.

Mr. Hegseth said the U.S. continues to focus on the three objectives of Operation Epic Fury: eliminating Iran’s ballistic capability and stockpile, destroying the Islamic republic’s navy and eliminating its nuclear ambitions.

“They race toward a nuclear bomb to hold the world hostage. President Trump will never allow it,” Mr. Hegseth said. “They fire missiles from schools and hospitals, deliberately targeting the innocent, because they know their military is being systematically degraded and annihilated.”

Iran’s terror proxies like Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis are broken, ineffective or sitting on the sidelines, Mr. Hegseth said.

“Iran stands alone, and they are badly losing. We are winning with an overwhelming and unrelenting focus on our objectives,” he said.