Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday addressed public criticism about Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-Israeli joint campaign against Iran, saying the mission was “on track” as the war entered its second week.
Mr. Hegseth said in a CBS interview that the war in Iran is not comparable to the U.S. operation against Afghanistan in the early 2000’s and urged Americans not to draw parallels between the two conflicts.
“We’re not flying a ‘Mission Accomplished’ banner like George W. Bush on an aircraft carrier. We’re not doing that and we haven’t done that. But we can be clear with the American people that this is not a fair fight. And that’s on purpose,” he said.
Mr. Hegseth also reiterated that the U.S. would soon be shifting to “conventional munitions” and gravity bombs after achieving air superiority. The secretary and Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, made that announcement last week following concerns that the U.S. was using too many advanced munitions and interceptors.
U.S. and Israeli officials said last week that joint operations had succeeded in disabling Iranian air defenses, making it possible to achieve air superiority over major cities like Tehran.
Mr. Hegseth was vague in his responses about the possibility of U.S. forces on the ground in Iran. When asked if the U.S. is prepared to send in service members to retrieve Iran’s highly enriched uranium, the defense secretary said he would “never tell you or anybody else what our options are.”
“We’re willing to go as far as we need to in order to be successful,” he added.
U.S. covert forces are also not off the table, according to Mr. Hegseth, who had insisted last week that there were no troops on the ground in Iran.
Mr. Hegseth was similarly vague when discussing what a victory scenario looks like for the U.S.
“We’ll know when they’re not capable of fighting. There’ll be a point where they’ll have no choice but to do that. Whether they know it or not, they will be combat-ineffective. They will surrender,” he said. “This is bringing your enemy to their knees. Now, whether they will have a ceremony in Tehran Square and surrender, that’s up to them.”
President Trump said last week that the only way for Iran to stop U.S. and Israeli bombs is to agree to an unconditional surrender.
The Hegseth interview comes as analysts and lawmakers press the Trump administration to provide concrete justifications for the war, criteria for its end and plans to deal with post-war Iran.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Iran was preparing a conventional weapons shield to protect its enrichment sites while it develops a nuclear weapon. Other U.S. officials and lawmakers have cited Iran’s longstanding support for terror organizations as a primary justification for the war.
U.S. officials have repeatedly said the air campaign is not aimed at regime change, though it has acknowledged that many of Iran’s political leaders were killed during the strikes. Mr. Trump has declared that the U.S. should play a role in selecting Iran’s new leaders but has not clarified who he would be willing to work with.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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