Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the US and Israeli military operation against Iran is “moving according to plan,” noting that there is currently no “clear timeframe” for its completion, as the final decision will be made by US leader Donald Trump.
He made the remarks during a briefing with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Dan Kaine, at the Pentagon on March 19.
Responding to journalists' questions about how close he thought the US was to achieving Trump's goals in the military operation and what its ultimate goal was, Hegseth noted:
“Well, we wouldn't want to set a specific timeframe, but as we've said, we're moving forward with the plan. So we're looking very carefully at these metrics, passing them on to the president and the national security team,” the Pentagon chief said.
He noted that there is a lot of discussion surrounding the further course of the operation, but there is a clearly defined list of goals to achieve which, he said, Trump has provided “all the necessary resources.” Hegseth added that the US currently has “the best military personnel in the world doing this job on the ground.”
“Rest assured that, again, because we are in 'fallback' mode, it means that we have advanced even further, and we have an even more precise idea of why we are striking, and we are doing it even more dynamically. That is, thanks to improved intelligence, we can more quickly identify where they are hiding and strike them before or immediately after the shot. But we are largely following the plan,” Hegset noted.
Finally, the US Secretary of Defense noted that the final decision on the end of the military operation remains with the American leader.
“They believe in it and they are interested in this mission, and ultimately it is the president who will decide when we say, 'We have achieved what we wanted on behalf of the American people to ensure our security.' So there are no specific deadlines, but we are moving in the right direction. Absolutely. Yes,” the US Secretary of Defense added.