‘Iran cannot outlast us,' says US defense chief
Baku, March 4, AZERTAC
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that “Iran cannot outlast us” as the US signaled a widening military campaign following coordinated strikes with Israel since Saturday, according to Anadolu Agency.
"I stand before you today with one unmistakable message about Operation Epic Fury. America is winning decisively, devastatingly and without mercy, under the direct command of President (Donald) Trump," Hegseth said at a news conference alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine.
"They are toast, and they know it ... and we have only just begun to hunt, dismantle, demoralize, destroy, and defeat their capabilities -- just four days in," he said.
His remarks came after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top security officials.
"More and larger waves are coming. We are just getting started. We are accelerating, not decelerating," Hegseth said.
He said the operation's mission is "laser-focused" -- obliterate Iran's missiles and drones and facilities that produce them, annihilate its navy and critical security infrastructure and sever their pathway to nuclear weapons. "Iran will never possess a nuclear bomb."
'I’m not going to comment on US boots on the ground'
More bombers and fighters are arriving Wednesday, Hegseth said.
Dismissing reports that stocks of munitions were running low, he said, "And now with complete control of the sky, we will be using 500-pound, 1,000-pound and 2,000-pound GPS and laser-guided precision gravity bombs, of which we have a nearly unlimited stockpile."
Hegseth said the leader of the unit who attempted to assassinate Trump was killed Tuesday.
"Iran tried to kill President Trump, and President Trump got the last laugh."
The US “will take all the time we need to make sure that we succeed," he noted.
Caine, for his part, said the US has hit more than 2,000 targets and destroyed over 20 Iranian naval vessels.
"We will now begin to expand inland, striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory and creating additional freedom of maneuver for US forces," Caine added.
When asked about the possibility of deploying ground troops in Iran, Caine said, “I’m not going to comment on US boots on the ground. I think that’s a question for policymakers. And I don’t make policy, I execute policy."
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