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As the ongoing conflict in West Asia entered its 11th day, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said that "today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran", signalling a further escalation in the joint military operations against the Islamic Regime.
Speaking to reporters during a briefing at the Pentagon, Hegseth said the United States military is intensifying its campaign, with more fighter jets, bombers and coordinated strikes planned. "Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran. The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes. Intelligence is more refined and better than ever," the War Secretary said. Hegseth further stated that the US will continue its operations until its objectives are achieved, while asserting that the campaign is being carried out on Washington's own timeline. "We will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated. But we do so on our timeline and at our choosing," he added. Despite the escalation in US military action, the War Secretary noted that Iran's missile response has declined in the last 24 hours. "The last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest amount of missiles they have fired yet," he said. The War Secretary was joined by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine. Hegseth further defended the US's actions in the region, distinguishing the current operation from previous prolonged US military engagements in the region. "This is not 2003. This is not endless nation-building under the quagmires we saw under Bush or Obama," he stated. According to Hegseth, the US military currently has "total air dominance" and remains committed to achieving the objectives set by US President Donald Trump. "Our generation of soldiers will not let that happen again, and nor will this president, who very clearly ran against those never-ending, nebulous missions. Those days are dead. Instead, we're winning decisively with brutal efficiency, total air dominance, and an unbreakable will to accomplish the president's objectives on our timeline," he added. The development comes amid heightened tensions in West Asia after the killing of 86-year-old Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint military strikes by the US and Israel on February 28, following which Iran, in its retaliation, targeted Israeli and US assets in several Gulf countries. The US-Israel strikes also killed several senior leaders of the Islamic Republic. (ANI)
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