Washington, March 10 — The United States is preparing to launch the most intense strikes yet against Iran, according to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as the conflict between the two countries continues to escalate.
Speaking during a regular briefing at the Pentagon on Tuesday, Hegseth said the attacks planned for the day would be the strongest so far in the ongoing confrontation. He was joined at the briefing by Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Hegseth claimed that Iran was moving toward developing a nuclear bomb and warned that US President Donald Trump would never allow that to happen. He added that Iran’s religious leadership was aware that its military forces were being systematically weakened.
“The Iranian leadership knows their forces are being dismantled,” he said, adding that the United States was succeeding in destroying Iran’s missile systems and naval assets while pushing the country further away from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The US defense chief also signaled that the campaign could continue for an extended period. “We will not stop until the enemy is completely defeated,” he said.
At the briefing, General Caine began his remarks by paying tribute to US service members who had been killed during the conflict with Iran. He said the joint forces were currently focusing on three main objectives: destroying Iranian missiles and drones before they can strike US interests, targeting and weakening Iran’s naval forces, and ensuring that Tehran cannot threaten the United States or its allies for years to come.
Caine also said the rate of Iran’s ballistic missile attacks had dropped sharply since the start of the conflict. According to him, the frequency of such strikes has decreased by nearly 90 percent.
The escalating confrontation has heightened concerns of a wider conflict in the Middle East, as tensions continue to rise between Washington and Tehran.
