Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon on a day the Iranian toll topped 1,000 and US sunk a warship operated by Tehran near Sri Lanka, Pentagon said so far six American service personnel had lost their lives.
On Day 5 of the Iran war, Hegseth acknowledged that some attacks may still hit their targets even as he asserted that US military superiority is quickly giving it control of the Islamic Republic’s airspace. The US has spared “no expense or capability” to enhance air defence systems to protect American forces and allies in the Middle East, Hegseth told reporters.
“This does not mean we can stop everything, but we ensured that the maximum possible defence and maximum possible force protection was set up before we went on offense,” he said.
The acknowledgement that additional drone or missile strikes in the region could cause damage and harm to troops comes as US President Donald Trump and top defence leaders have warned that additional American casualties were expected in a conflict that could last months.
US will take ‘all time’ needed to ensure Iran war success
The US will “take all the time we need to ensure success,” Hegseth said Wednesday, adding that “Iran cannot outlast us.”
He claimed the US is winning its military operation against Iran “decisively, devastatingly and without mercy.” While more forces, including jet fighters and bombers, will arrive in the region, Hegseth said “We will take all the time we need to make sure that we succeed.”
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On the fifth day of the ongoing conflict, US submarine fired a torpedo that sank an Iranian warship Tuesday night, marking what Hegseth called the first such attack on an enemy since World War II.
“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth said. “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo.”
The vessel, identified as IRIS Dena, was one of Iran’s newest warships. Sri Lanka said its navy and air force rescued 32 of the 180 people on board after the ship reported distress off its southern coast.
‘Winning military op without mercy’
Hegseth said the US is winning its military operation “decisively, devastatingly and without mercy.”
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Iran is firing fewer missiles than it did at the start of the war on Saturday, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in the same press conference, adding that Iran’s military capabilities were “greatly diminished as the United States expands its strikes inside Iran.”
When will the war end?
The Defence Secretary also signalled a possibly longer time frame for the conflict than had previously been floated by the Trump administration, saying it could last eight weeks but that the US has the munitions and equipment to beat Iran in a war of attrition.
He did not set a specific time range, saying the specific duration of the war would depend on how it unfolds. “You can say four weeks, but it could be six, it could be eight, it could be three,” he said. “Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo. The enemy is off balance, and we’re going to keep them off balance.”
Hegseth said US forces began the campaign with advanced weapons and now plan to switch to gravity bombs after “securing control of Iranian skies.” He said stockpiles of advanced weapons remain “extremely strong.”
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General Caine said US forces have adequate munitions for ongoing operations against Iran.
An Israeli military official had said that top US and Israeli officials began planning the strikes around three weeks ago. The war has killed more than 1,000 people in Iran and dozens in Lebanon, while disrupting supply of the world’s oil and gas and stranding thousands of travellers in West Asia.
