Washington, March 10, 2026
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday sought to reassure Americans and allies that the ongoing military campaign against Iran would remain tightly limited, saying the operation had clearly defined objectives and would not turn into a prolonged war.
Speaking alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine at the Pentagon, Hegseth stressed that President Donald Trump had set a narrowly scoped mission for ‘Operation Epic Fury’ and that the administration was determined to avoid the type of open-ended conflicts seen in the past.
“This is not endless. It’s not protracted. We’re not allowing mission creep,” Hegseth said.
He added that the operation was designed to meet specific military goals rather than expand into a wider conflict.
“The President has said a very specific mission to accomplish,” he said. “Our job is to unrelentingly deliver that.”
The Defence Secretary said the ultimate decision on how long the operation continues rests with the President.
“He gets to control the throttle,” Hegseth said. “He’s the one deciding, he’s the one elected on behalf of the American people when we’re achieving those particular objectives.”
The Pentagon briefing came as the US campaign entered its tenth day, with officials saying American forces had already struck thousands of targets across Iran.
Caine said the military remained focused on three primary objectives: destroying Iranian missile and drone capabilities, weakening Iran’s navy, and striking deeper into its military-industrial infrastructure.
“The joint force remains focused on three military objectives,” Caine said.
He said US operations were aimed at preventing attacks on American forces and partners across the region.
“This means attacking launch sites, command and control nodes, and stockpiles before they can threaten our personnel, our facilities, and our partners,” he said.
Caine added that strikes had already significantly reduced Iran’s ability to launch attacks.
Hegseth argued that the campaign was fundamentally different from earlier US wars in the Middle East.
“You see, this is not 2003,” he said. “This is not endless nation-building under those types of quagmires.”
He added that American forces were executing the mission with overwhelming strength.
“We’re winning decisively with brutal efficiency, total air dominance, and an unbreakable will to accomplish the President’s objectives,” Hegseth said.
At the same time, the Defence Secretary acknowledged Americans’ concerns about the risk of a prolonged war.
“I understand those concerns because I’ve heard from a lot of people who went through it. I went through 20 years of those wars myself,” he said.
He said the administration’s focus remained on preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and neutralizing its ability to threaten the United States and its partners.
“We won’t live under a nuclear blackmail scenario of conventional missiles that can target our people,” Hegseth said.
The conflict intensified after the launch of ‘Operation Epic Fury’, a US-led military campaign targetting Iranian missile, drone, and naval capabilities across the region.(Agency)
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