Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared early Monday that the U.S. military operation in Iran stays laser-focused, with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iranian targets extending into their third day.
Clear Mission Objectives
Hegseth, speaking alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, outlined the goals: “Destroy Iranian missiles, destroy Iranian missile production, destroy their navy and other security infrastructure and they will never have nuclear weapons.”
He stressed that the operation avoids prolonged conflict. “This is not Iraq,” Hegseth said. “This is not endless. I was there for both—our generation knows better, and so does this president. He called the last 20 years of nation-building wars dumb and he’s right. This is the opposite. This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission: Destroy the missile threat, destroy the navy, no nukes.”
US Military Losses Mount
The Pentagon confirmed Monday the death of a fourth American service member in the mission, following three U.S. personnel killed in Kuwait over the weekend. Hegseth acknowledged the losses but affirmed the operation’s limited scope.
In a separate incident, Kuwaiti forces downed three U.S. F-15 jets in what U.S. Central Command described as friendly fire, though all crew members survived unharmed. Smoke billowed from the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait after an apparent Iranian missile impact.
Casualties on Both Sides
Israeli officials report at least 11 fatalities from the conflict. Iran’s Red Crescent organization states that 555 people have died within Iran.
President Trump announced Sunday that the joint operation persists “until all of our objectives are achieved,” potentially lasting “four weeks or less,” while warning of possible additional U.S. casualties.
Operation Origins and Iranian Actions
The U.S. and Israel initiated large-scale strikes over the weekend, targeting high-value sites including the compound of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, where he was killed.
Hegseth blamed Iran for provoking the conflict through its nuclear ambitions and attacks on global shipping. “Iran had a conventional gun to our head as they tried to lie their way to a nuclear bomb,” he stated, citing Tehran’s persistent nuclear program.
