War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine brief reporters on Operation Epic Fury at the Pentagon. Credit: DoD (CC BY 4.0)
War Secretary Pete Hegseth just delivered the kind of Pentagon briefing that makes America’s enemies lose sleep.
Standing alongside Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, Hegseth laid out the damage the United States has inflicted on Iran’s military in just 11 days of Operation Epic Fury — and the numbers are staggering.
- 5,000+ targets struck across Iran
- Iranian ballistic missile launches down 90%
- Drone attacks down 83%
- 50+ Iranian naval vessels destroyed
“Their military is being systematically degraded and annihilated,” Hegseth said. “The mullahs are desperate and scrambling.”
Iran’s proxies — Hezbollah, the Houthis, Hamas — are, in Hegseth’s words, “either broken, ineffective, or on the sidelines.” Not a single ally has come to Tehran’s rescue.
“Iran stands alone,” Hegseth declared. “And they are badly losing.”
‘This Is Not 2003’
Hegseth — a combat veteran who led troops in Baghdad and Samarra with the 101st Airborne — made clear that the mistakes of the past won’t be repeated under President Trump.
“This is not 2003. This is not endless nation-building under those types of quagmires we saw under Bush or Obama. It’s not even close,” he said. “Our generation of soldiers will not let that happen again. Those days are dead.”
He described the opening salvo as twice the air power of Iraq’s “Shock and Awe” campaign — but with precision targeting and zero appetite for occupation.
“Our will is endless — but this war is not,” Hegseth said. “We will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated. But we do so on our timeline and at our choosing.”
Trump Warns Iran on Strait of Hormuz
President Trump issued a direct warning to what’s left of Iran’s leadership via Truth Social, making it crystal clear that any attempt to mine the Strait of Hormuz would be met with overwhelming force.
“If Iran does anything to stop the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States twenty times harder than they have been hit thus far,” Trump wrote.
The U.S. has already destroyed 10 inactive Iranian mine-laying boats as a preemptive measure. Oil markets briefly spiked before settling — a sign that traders believe Trump means business.
Both Hegseth and Caine confirmed the U.S. is prepared to escort oil vessels through the strait if necessary. The message to the world: commerce will not be disrupted.
New Ayatollah, Same Problem for Iran
Following the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei in the joint U.S.-Israeli opening strikes, the IRGC scrambled to install his son Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader.
Trump’s response? He’s “not happy” with the choice.
The Wall Street Journal reported the president has told aides he would back taking out the new Ayatollah if he refuses to cede to U.S. demands. That’s the kind of strength the Iranian regime hasn’t faced in 45 years.
The Bottom Line
For decades, Washington talked tough on Iran and did nothing. Billions in pallets of cash under Obama. “Strategic patience” under Biden. Empty red lines and broken promises.
President Trump ended the talking.
In 11 days, the U.S. military has done more damage to Iran’s war machine than four decades of sanctions, negotiations, and UN resolutions combined. Hegseth put it simply: “The mission is laser-focused, maximum-authority. No hesitation, no half measures.”
This is what American strength looks like. And Iran is finding out the hard way.
Sources: Breitbart, The Federalist
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