The U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, declared this Wednesday that the joint military offensive between Washington and Tel Aviv against Iran met every objective set from day one, on time and in accordance with plans.
The statements come just hours after a wave of over 800 attacks carried out on Tuesday night, which Hegseth claimed completed the destruction of the Iranian defense industrial base, regarded as the central pillar of the mission.
"Together with our Israeli partners, the United States Armed Forces achieved each of the objectives, according to plan, on schedule, exactly as outlined from day one," stated the Secretary of Defense.
Hegseth listed the results of the Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, 2026: the Iranian navy completely sunk —frigates, aircraft carriers, submarines, and minesweepers—, the air force "eliminated," and the air defense system destroyed.
"We no longer have an air defense system. We own our airspace," he stated, referring to the operational capacity that the United States maintains over Iranian territory.
According to Hegseth, Iran's missile program has been "functionally destroyed": launchers, production facilities, and existing arsenals have been "decimated and emptied."
The official also highlighted that Iran launched "hundreds and hundreds" of missiles and suicide drones at the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, without coming close at any point.
"They were obsessed with him and never even got close. Each of those shots was easily taken down miles and miles away from the Abe Lincoln. They were wasting ammunition in a fantasy land," Hegseth said.
Regarding Iran's residual capability, the secretary warned that Tehran can still launch isolated strikes, but its command and control have been so depleted that it cannot coordinate attacks.
"They can still fire. We know that. Their command and control are so decimated that they can't communicate or coordinate. So they can still shoot here and there, but that would be very, very reckless," he pointed out.
Hegseth emphasized that Iran no longer has the capacity to rebuild its arsenal: "They can no longer produce missiles, rockets, launchers, or drones. Their factories have been razed to the ground, set back in a historic way."
Throughout the operation, which lasted approximately 39 days, over 5,000 targets were attacked, including nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow, as well as barracks of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard.
On the same Wednesday, hours after Hegseth's statements, President Donald Trump announced a bilateral ceasefire for two weeks, contingent upon the complete and immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had closed on March 4, 2026, collapsing 97% of naval traffic and driving global oil prices up.
The agreement was mediated by Pakistan, through Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Iran confirmed the reopening of the Strait and announced negotiations in Islamabad starting Thursday, April 10.
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