The United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, stated this Wednesday that Iran pleaded for this ceasefire, and we all know it and described Operation Epic Fury as a "historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield."
Hegseth held a press conference at the Pentagon alongside the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, one day after President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire on Tuesday, just one hour before the deadline of 8:00 PM ET that he himself had set under the threat of devastating attacks on Iranian infrastructure.
"Iran called for this ceasefire, and we all know it," Hegseth declared. "The Epic Fury Operation was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield. A military victory with a capital V."
The Secretary of Defense detailed that Central Command (CENTCOM) used less than 10% of the total combat power of the United States to dismantle one of the largest armies in the world in less than 40 days.
"The main state sponsor of terrorism in the world has proven to be completely incapable of defending itself, its people, or its territory," Hegseth stated.
According to the official, the operation destroyed 90% of Iran's missile arsenal, 95% of its drones, and eliminated 49 high-ranking officials, including the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who died on March 1, 2026, after the initial attacks. His son Mojtaba Khamenei took over as the new Supreme Leader.
Hegseth described the result as the culmination of a sustained maximum pressure policy towards Tehran, which included the elimination of Qasem Soleimani and the abandonment of the nuclear deal negotiated during the Obama administration. "No other president has demonstrated the courage and determination of this commander in chief," he said.
The ceasefire, mediated by Pakistan with the participation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir, establishes a two-week pause: the United States halts bombings and Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz under the coordination of its own armed forces.
Trump celebrated the agreement on Truth Social with a brief message: "A great day for world peace. Iran wants it. They have had enough."
Iran, for its part, rejected the narrative of defeat. The Iranian Supreme National Security Council presented the agreement as a victory of its own, warning that "the war is not over" and that any movement from the adversary will be met with force. Iranian media claimed that the enemy has been pleading for a ceasefire for a month.
The fragility of the agreement became evident hours after its announcement: Israel intercepted Iranian missiles over Jerusalem and Iran attacked Bahrain and the petrochemical area of Jubail in Saudi Arabia.
The formal negotiations between both parties are scheduled for April 10 in Islamabad, with the possibility of an extension, marking the first direct diplomatic round after weeks of bombings that destroyed more than 5,000 Iranian targets and disrupted traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil passes.
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