US Defense Secretary: "Today Will Be the Most Intense Day of Attacks on Iran"

Airstrikes with the Largest Number of Fighter Jets and Bombers

Goal: Permanent Prevention of Iran's Nuclear Weapons Capability

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (left) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kein. Photo by AP Yonhap News

As U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at the possibility of ending the war, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated on March 10 (local time), "Today will once again be the most intense day of attacks on Iran."

At a military operations briefing on Iran held at the Pentagon with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Kane, Secretary Hegseth said, "Iran is isolated and is facing a crushing defeat on the tenth day of Operation Grand Fury."

He added, "There will be the largest number of fighter jets and bombers, and the most airstrikes," noting that the U.S. military is providing President Trump with "the maximum range of options" for conducting the war.

Secretary Hegseth also stated, "Even Iran's neighboring countries and some former allies in the Gulf region have abandoned Iran and its proxy forces, including Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas."

He emphasized that the objectives of the U.S. military operations are to destroy Iran's missile stockpiles and launchers, its defense industry base and missile manufacturing capabilities, its navy, and to permanently prevent Iran from possessing nuclear weapons.

He explained that Iran's ballistic missile attacks have decreased by 90% compared to the start of hostilities, suicide drone attacks have decreased by 83%, and more than 50 Iranian vessels have been eliminated over the past ten days.

Secretary Hegseth declared, "We will not stop until the enemy is completely and decisively defeated," stressing, "We will do so according to our timeline and our choices."

Regarding the duration of military operations, he said, "From the beginning, we did not state how long this would take," and added, "Ultimately, it is the President who will determine the final state of those objectives."

However, he clarified, "This is not an endless war. This is not a war that will drag on," and continued, "Although the media describes it as 'war escalation' or 'war expansion,' in reality, it is quite the opposite. In fact, the situation remains considerably limited."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.