Hegseth: Tuesday To Be ‘Most Intense Day Of Strikes’ Yet In Iran

By Morgan Sweeney | The Center Square

(Worthy News) – The American military continues to ramp up its attacks on Iran, 10 days into Operation Epic Fury.

Tuesday will be the heaviest round of air strikes in Iran yet, according to War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran – the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes [and] intelligence more refined and better than ever,” Hegseth told reporters at a Pentagon press briefing Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, Iran’s military capabilities appear to be dwindling.

“The last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest number of missiles they’ve been capable of firing yet,” Hegseth added.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine later described more of what American forces have achieved thus far into the campaign.

The U.S. military has struck more than 5,000 targets – more than twice the number cited one week ago, according to Caine, and it continues to make progress toward the operation’s objectives: destroying Iran’s ballistic missiles, its navy and its military industrial base, including its nuclear capacity.

Iranian ballistic missile attacks are down 90% and the use of one-way attack drones has decreased by 83% since the start of the operation, and the U.S. is “more than 50 Iranian naval ships” into the country’s navy, according to Caine.

Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28 alongside a similar Israeli operation. Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khameini was killed the first day, and dozens of other regime leaders have been killed since. Khameini’s son, Mojtaba Khameini, was selected to take his place. There are some overseas reports that he has been injured, but neither Hegseth nor Caine were able to verify that news on Tuesday.

The president has said that he won’t accept anything less from Iran than unconditional surrender, and he has also suggested the U.S. may be involved in helping rebuild Iran “after the selection of a great and acceptable leader(s).”

But Caine and Hegseth emphasized Tuesday that the U.S. remains focused on achieving the military objectives of Operation Epic Fury and that this is not a “forever war,” as some fear.

“This is not 2003. This is not endless nation building under those types of quagmires that we saw under Bush or Obama, not even close,” Hegesth said. “We stay locked on the target.”

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