U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Tuesday morning that “today will again be our most intense day of attacks” against Iran.
“Most fighter aircraft, the largest number of bombers, the highest number of strikes. Intelligence that is more refined and better than ever. So that is one side of it,” Hegseth said during a press conference at the Pentagon.
“On the other side, the last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest number of missiles it has been able to launch so far,” he added.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said in its Monday update that the U.S. military has struck more than 5,000 targets in Iran since the start of the war, including the sinking or damaging of more than 50 Iranian vessels.
General Dan Caine highlighted three main U.S. objectives in Iran:
- destroying Iran’s ballistic missile and drone capabilities,
- striking deeper into Iran’s military and industrial base,
- and continuing the destruction of Iran’s navy to ensure maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The comments from Hegseth and Caine come as Iran carried out new attacks against Israel and Gulf countries on Tuesday, amid the expanding conflict.
The war has shaken global oil markets and the world economy.
Hegseth said during the briefing that Iran is standing alone and is “losing badly.”
The Pentagon chief also claimed that Iran-backed groups in the region — Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hamas — are “either failing, ineffective, or on the sidelines.”
