Hegseth on Iran:

A dishonest and anti-Trump press will stop at nothing—we know this by now—to downplay progress, amplify every cost, and call every step into question.

Sadly, TDS is in their DNA. They want Trump to fail.

But the American people know better.

Hegseth on Iran:

The media here—not all of it, but much of it—wants you to think that just 19 days into this conflict, we’re somehow heading toward an endless abyss, a forever war, or a quagmire.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Hegseth on Iran:

We’re winning decisively, and on our terms. Iran is a vast country, and just like Hamas and their tunnels, they’ve poured any aid—any economic development, humanitarian aid—into tunnels and rockets. That’s what they did with Hamas.

Iran has funneled decades of state resources not to their people, but into missiles, drones, proxies, and buried facilities.

But we are hunting them down—methodically, ruthlessly, and overwhelmingly—like no other military in the world can.

And the results speak for themselves.

Hegseth on Iran:

To date, we’ve struck over 7,000 targets across Iran and its military infrastructure. That is not incremental—that is overwhelming force applied with precision.

And again today will be the largest strike package yet.

Yet, just like yesterday, as I’ve said from day one, our capabilities continue to build while Iran’s continue to degrade.

We’re hunting and striking—death and destruction from above.

Hegseth on Iran:

Now, the Iranians will still shoot—we know that. But they would shoot a lot more if they could. They just can’t.

Hegseth on Iran:

The last jobs anyone in the world wants right now: senior leader for the IRGC or Basij—temp jobs, all of them.

Hegseth on Iran:

My 13-year-old son came into my office last night while I was editing these remarks. He asked about the war—and the families I met at Dover.

I looked at him and said: they died for you, son—so that your generation doesn’t have to deal with a nuclear Iran.

Hegseth on Iran:

The world, the Middle East, our ungrateful allies in Europe, and even segments of our own press should be saying one thing to Trump: thank you.

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General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff:

We’re now flying further east and penetrating deeper into Iranian airspace to hunt and destroy one-way attack systems.

The A-10 Warthog is now engaged across the southern flank, targeting fast attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz.

In addition, AH-64 Apaches have joined the fight on the southern flank, continuing operations alongside allies—including missions to counter one-way attack drones.

Hegseth on Iran:

Ultimately, it will be the president’s decision when we say, “We’ve achieved what we need to on behalf of the American people to ensure our security.”

So, no—there is no set timeline. But we are very much on track. Absolutely.

Hegseth on Iran:

The Gulf States have stepped up incredibly. In fact, Iran’s reckless attempt to strike civilian infrastructure and other targets has brought countries—who might not have been as fully engaged before—squarely into our orbit.

We’re proud to be defending alongside them and standing with them.

You name it—UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia—and others who have been right there with us.

General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, admits:

They still retain some capability.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a temporary pause in fighting across the Middle East, urging all sides to de-escalate tensions and allow space for negotiations amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes.

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Hegseth:

Name the Islamist enemy—whether Sunni or Shia—because this is a Shia regime, but Iran has been willing to harbor both.

As long as a group is willing to try to kill Americans, the enemy of their enemy has been their friend in the Islamist world.

So Iran—whether in Iraq, Afghanistan, or elsewhere around the world—has been targeting Americans.

And what President Trump will not tolerate is a regime of that nature—one moving closer and closer to nuclear capability.

Hegseth:

$200 billion… that number could move.

It takes money to kill bad guys.

We need to be properly funded for what has been done and what we may have to do in the future.

Hegseth:

Every time we reach back and look at any sort of challenge we have, it goes back to “send it to Ukraine.”

We think these munitions are better spent in our interest.

Reporter: Why are we helping Israel prosecute this war if they’re going to pursue their own objectives?

Hegseth: We hold the cards. We have objectives. Those objectives are clear.

We have allies pursuing objectives as well.

Hegseth:

The United States military controls the fate of Iran.

WATCH: This is likely the clearest footage yet of the secretive U.S. RQ-180 stealth drone, flying over Greece.

Arab governments are angered by Israel’s strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field and frustrated that the U.S. didn’t prevent it.

They warn the escalation could put Gulf energy infrastructure at risk, with some officials saying the attack has effectively put a target on their backs.

Source: WSJ