Pentagon: US far from concluding military campaign against Iran

WASHINGTON, United States (MNTV) – U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the ongoing military offensive against Iran is merely the opening phase, as American and Israeli forces intensify their aerial campaign into a second week, with over 50,000 U.S. troops engaged and nearly 3,000 targets already struck inside Iran.

In an interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Hegseth said Iran’s ability to exert influence across the Middle East is steadily diminishing and “will be increasingly diminished.” He said the operation, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” involves more than 50,000 U.S. personnel and had already targeted approximately 3,000 sites within Iran as of last Friday.

Hegseth said the campaign is proceeding on schedule but rejected any notion of an imminent conclusion. “We’re very much on track, on plan,” he said, describing the combined air power of U.S. and Israeli forces as “overwhelming” compared to Iran’s. He reiterated President Trump’s call for Tehran’s unconditional surrender, and cautioned that further casualties are inevitable.

“There will be more casualties,” he said, adding that such losses only strengthen American resolve. “It means we’re fighting to win. It means we set the terms.”

The Pentagon has signaled readiness to sustain the offensive as long as necessary to achieve its objectives, as U.S. and Israeli strikes continue to draw retaliatory actions from Iranian-backed groups across the region.