Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said that today will be the “most intense day” of American strikes on Iran during the entire military operation.
He stated this at a briefing.
“Today will be another most intense day of strikes on Iran. The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes. The intelligence is more sophisticated and better than ever,” Hegset said.
At the same time, he noted that in the last 24 hours, “Iran has launched the fewest number of missiles they could ever launch.”
“Iran stands alone and is losing badly. Its neighboring countries, and in some cases former allies in the Persian Gulf, have abandoned it. And its allies, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Hamas, are either defeated, ineffective or on the sidelines,” Hegset said, adding that the US “is winning by focusing on our goals.”
The Minister of Defense recalled that the goals of the operation against Iran are to destroy Iranian missile arsenals and launchers, deprive Tehran of the ability to produce new missiles, and eliminate the navy and the nuclear threat.
“We will not give in until the enemy is completely and decisively defeated,” he declared.
The head of the Pentagon spoke about Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
“He would be wise to listen to the words of our president, who calls for not striving to create nuclear weapons, and to openly declare this. As for his status, I cannot say anything about it right now,” said Hegset.
Israeli and US military operation against Iran
On February 28, Israel attacked the Iranian capital Tehran. US President Donald Trump later said that the US military had launched a “major combat operation” against Iran to “eliminate imminent threats from the Iranian regime”. He accused the Iranian government of “funding and training” militants in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Hamas in Palestine. According to him, the aim of the military operation is to “destroy Iran's missile industry and navy” and “ensure that the world cannot be destabilised”.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched missiles and drones towards Israel, and also attacked US military bases in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Amid the US military operation against Iran, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Paris is calling for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.
The European Union said it reaffirmed its “unwavering commitment to ensuring regional security and stability” in the Middle East.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was fair to give the Iranians a chance to get rid of “the terrorist regime and guarantee the security of all peoples who have suffered from attacks from Iran.”
On March 1, the IRGC announced that it was launching “the most devastating offensive operation in the history of the Islamic Republic” against Israel and “American terrorist bases.” Trump called on the Iranian regime to abandon these plans and threatened to strike “a very strong blow” in response.
On March 2, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the next phase of the US military operation against Iran would be even more destructive.
On March 6, Trump declared the need for a complete change in Iran's leadership, adding that he already had several candidates for the role of “a good leader.”
On March 8, Iran's Assembly of Experts elected the son of the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the third supreme leader of the Islamic Republic.
Trump declined to comment on the election of Mojtaba Khamenei, saying only: “We'll see what happens.” Before that, the American president said that the new leader of Iran “won't last long” if he doesn't receive the approval of the White House.