Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed Wednesday that American forces have secured a “historic and overwhelming victory” against Iran but said military assets will remain in the region to ensure Tehran’s new leaders comply with the terms of a tentative peace deal between the nations.
“We’ll be hanging around. We’re not going anywhere,” Hegseth said during a Pentagon press conference a day after President Donald Trump announced a two-week pause in fightingamid peace negotiations. “Our troops are prepared to defend, prepared to go on offense, prepared to restart at a moment's notice with whatever target package would be needed.”
Trump earlier on Wednesday wrote on social media that both countries have already agreed on several of the provisions in a preliminary 15-point peace plan.
But Hegseth’s confidence that the massive military operation is in its waning days — he repeatedly referred to Operation Epic Fury in the past tense — contrasts with comments from Vice President JD Vance, who called the situation in the Middle East a “fragile truce” that could evaporate in the coming days. Vance is in Hungary stumping for far-right candidate Viktor Orbán.
Hegseth said he was far more confident the deal will hold, thanks to the dominance of American military forces over the last six weeks.
“In less than 40 days, Central Command, using less than 10 percent of America's total combat power, dismantled one of the world's largest militaries, the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism,” Hegseth said. “Iran proved utterly incapable of defending itself. … Together with our Israeli partners, America's military achieved every single objective.”
Joint Chiefs chair Gen. Dan Caine said that U.S. forces have struck more than 13,000 targets since the start of the military operation on Feb. 28. That includes “approximately 80 percent of Iran's air defense systems, more than 1,500 air defense targets, more than 450 ballistic missile storage facilities, 800 one-way attack drones.”
That work has also included more than 700 strikes against naval mine targets in the Strait of Hormuz, which Caine assessed amounts to 95 percent of Iran’s stockpiles.
Hegseth said he is confident that under the terms of the ceasefire, shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz will now fully reopen. About 25 percent of the global crude oil trade passes through the waterway, and its closure during the war has caused a worldwide spike in energy prices.
The Defense secretary downplayed reports of continued attacks in the region by Iranian proxies overnight, saying they did not amount to a violation of the peace deal. But he also warned that “Iran would be wise to find a way to get a carrier pigeon to their troops in remote locations,” because American forces remain ready to respond if needed.
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