Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States and Israel have inflicted unprecedented damage on Iran’s military capabilities during the first weeks of the conflict, declaring that the Iranian regime’s forces are rapidly collapsing as American and Israeli strikes intensify.
Speaking at the Pentagon alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, Hegseth described the scale of the campaign now underway across Iran.
“The United States is decimating the radical Iranian regime’s military in a way the world has never seen before,” Hegseth said. “Never before has a modern, capable military … been so quickly destroyed and made combat ineffective.”
He said the combined operations of the US and Israeli air forces have struck more than 15,000 targets.
“The combination of the world’s two most powerful air forces is unprecedented and unbeatable,” Hegseth said. “Between our Air Force and that of the Israelis, over 15,000 enemy targets have been struck.”
Hegseth said Iranian air defenses, naval forces and missile capabilities have been severely degraded.
“Iran has no air defenses. Iran has no air force. Iran has no Navy,” he said, adding that missile and drone attacks launched by Iran have dropped sharply as a result of the campaign.
“Iran’s missile volume is down 90%,” he said. “Their one way attack drones yesterday down 95%.”
The defense secretary said strikes have also targeted Iran’s defense manufacturing sector to prevent the regime from rebuilding military capacity.
“As of two days ago, Iran’s entire ballistic missile production capacity … has been functionally defeated,” Hegseth said, adding that factories, research facilities and production lines across the country have been destroyed.
He said the campaign is continuing to accelerate.
“Today will be yet again the highest volume of strikes that America has put over the skies of Iran and Tehran,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth also claimed Iran’s leadership is under pressure following the death of the country’s previous supreme leader.
“We know the new so-called not so Supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured,” he said, describing the Iranian leadership as disorganized and struggling to coordinate its response.
“The military capabilities of their evil regime are crumbling,” he said.
Gen. Dan Caine said the United States has entered the 13th day of Operation Epic Fury and confirmed that American forces continue to strike missile systems, drones, naval assets and weapons factories across Iran.
“CENTCOM [US Central Command) continues to attack ballistic missile and drone capabilities so that they are no longer a threat to US forces, our bases or our partners,” Caine said.
He said US forces have attacked more than 6,000 targets so far and are maintaining constant aerial operations over Iran.
“CENTCOM is now persistently over the enemy,” he said.
Caine said US forces have also targeted Iran’s navy and mine-laying capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz to maintain freedom of navigation.
“We’ve rendered the Iranian Navy combat ineffective,” he said.
He added that the United States continues to strike naval vessels and infrastructure used to threaten commercial shipping.
“The only thing preventing commercial traffic and flow through the Straits right now … is Iran,” Caine said.
Both officials also addressed a separate incident involving a US aircraft.
Caine confirmed that four airmen were recovered after a KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq during a combat mission.
“The incident occurred over friendly territory in western Iraq,” he said, adding that it “was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.”
Caine said rescue and recovery operations are continuing and the military will release further information as it becomes available.
Hegseth praised US service members involved in the campaign and said the administration remains committed to achieving its objectives.
“President Trump holds the cards,” Hegseth said. “He’ll determine the pace, the tempo and the timing of this conflict.”
