Hegseth warns of most intense U.S. strike day yet in Iran conflict

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Tuesday could mark the heaviest day of U.S. airstrikes against Iran since the war began, while President Donald Trump considers how and when the campaign should conclude.

Speaking during a Pentagon briefing, Hegseth said the United States planned a major escalation in air operations.

“Today will be, yet again, our most intense day of strikes inside Iran — the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes,” Hegseth said.

He noted that the president will ultimately decide what the end stage of the operation looks like and when the military goals have been met.

At the same briefing, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said American forces have hit more than 5,000 targets since the start of the conflict. According to Caine, the strikes have reduced Iranian missile launches against Israel and U.S. partners in the Persian Gulf by about 90%.

Caine outlined three ongoing objectives: dismantling Iran’s missile and drone programs, targeting the Iranian navy and damaging the country’s military and industrial infrastructure.

The conflict continues to ripple across the region. Iranian forces launched new attacks Tuesday targeting Gulf Arab nations, while Israeli strikes also hit sites in southern and eastern Lebanon.

Officials have offered mixed signals about how long the war could last. Hegseth emphasized the United States is not seeking a prolonged occupation similar to earlier Middle East wars.

“This is not 2003. This is not endless nation-building under those types of quagmires we saw under Bush or Obama,” he said.

The Pentagon declined to address reports that Iran’s newly installed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei may have been wounded. Khamenei assumed the role after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed during the first day of U.S.-Israeli attacks.

Seven American service members have died in the conflict.

Trump said in an interview with CBS News that the war may be nearing completion, suggesting there is little left to destroy militarily. But the Defense Department posted online that the fight is still ramping up, writing, “We have only just begun to fight.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told PBS News that Iran will continue launching missiles toward Israel “as long as needed.”

Trump has also floated the possibility of the United States taking control of the Strait of Hormuz if Iran attempts to close the waterway. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the strait, and prices briefly climbed to $119 a barrel as tensions escalated.