All eyes on the Pentagon as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers a crucial update on the Iran war. With reports of possible ground operations and simultaneous peace talks, uncertainty grows over Washington’s next move. Is the U.S. heading toward a deal—or preparing for escalation? As tensions rise, this briefing could define the next phase of the conflict and reshape the path toward war or diplomacy.
#Pentagon #PeteHegseth #IranWar #USIran #BreakingNews #MiddleEast #WarUpdate #GroundInvasion #PeaceTalks #Geopolitics #USMilitary #GlobalTensions #WorldNews #Defense #Crisis
~HT.410~PR.152~ED.102~
#Pentagon #PeteHegseth #IranWar #USIran #BreakingNews #MiddleEast #WarUpdate #GroundInvasion #PeaceTalks #Geopolitics #USMilitary #GlobalTensions #WorldNews #Defense #Crisis
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NewsTranscript
00:02Well, over the weekend, I had the opportunity to visit our troops fighting
00:08in Operation Epic Fury. We were in the ground or on the ground, excuse me, in
00:13CENTCOM on Saturday for about half the day. For reasons of operational security,
00:19so those troops are not targeted, the places and bases will not be named.
00:26Suffice it to say, the trip was an honor. I had a chance to bear witness and I
00:33witnessed the best of America. I witnessed warriors, a brotherhood of men and women
00:41warriors all, active duty guard and reserve, united in their love for each
00:46other, their shared purpose and their commitment to the mission. I witnessed
00:52sheer competency. I watched a private first class confidently calling out an
00:58enemy missile trajectory to a room full of officers. Everyone focused, the room was
01:03locked in. Two enemy missiles successfully shot down. I spoke to Air Force and Navy
01:10pilots on the flight line, who every day both deliver bombs deep into Iran but
01:17also shoot down drones defending their base. Many had just returned from the
01:23skies of Iran and Tehran. I put on a headset and spoke to one crew in the
01:29cockpit, locked and loaded each and every day. I witnessed ingenuity, American
01:36ingenuity. I met the young army officer who figured out how to neutralize
01:40maneuvering enemy missiles, saving countless lives. His commander confirmed that the
01:45whoops and cheers erupted in the tactical operations center when his new approach
01:50was first successful. I met the Air Force Intel analyst who refines target
01:55packages faster than the enemy can adapt. I actually gave him my card and told him
02:02to keep me posted on the ground truth. I did the same with his boss, a colonel with a
02:10heart the size of Texas and a beautiful deployment mustache to match. I witnessed
02:18lethality. I met a junior airman as the sun was going down and a chill was setting on the tarmac,
02:25who,
02:26when asked what they needed, she simply looked up at me with a sly smile on her face and said,
02:34more bombs, sir, and bigger bombs. We will happily oblige her. I met the army targeting team who found
02:45and sunk the pride and joy of the Iranian Navy, their fighting position plastered with images of
02:50sunken enemy ships. And I witnessed urgency. Right when we landed, another C-17 landed just minutes
02:59after us. And within 30 seconds of the aircraft coming to a full stop, a team on the ground pulled
03:06up and the cargo was being uploaded. Wartime speed. To a man and to a woman, on the ground, in
03:14the air,
03:15on the flight line, and in the talk, I heard, we want everything faster. Higher op tempo. Wartime speed.
03:26The feeling was the exact opposite of the rotational units year after year in the wars in Iraq and
03:32Afghanistan that we're so familiar with. In those wars, it was always about the next rotation. Never
03:38knowing when the mission would end or exactly what the mission was year after year. Not with epic fury.
03:46I witnessed urgency to finish the job. Urgency to achieve mission success. Not looking at the next
03:52rotation, only moving as fast as possible to win. I got a chance to troop the line. To witness firsthand
04:01what we already know is true. Spoke to all ranks and all services, none of whom knew we were coming.
04:07It was not rehearsed or scripted. Sometimes we just wandered. What I witnessed was motivation.
04:14It was sheer mission focus. It was the American warrior unleashed. It was the kind of war fighting
04:22American spirit that comes with a clear mission against a determined enemy. A crew chief we flew
04:30with summed it up nicely. He said, it's been a busy few weeks, sir. Tough stuff. But I'm so honored
04:36to be
04:36called up. This fight is long overdue. We need to address it for our kids. We cannot pass the buck.
04:44Please thank the president from us. I heard that time and time again. I asked each young American,
04:52what do you need? And nobody said better equipment. Nobody said more comfortable living conditions.
04:58Nobody said, send me home. Well, of course, eventually we want all those things. They do too.
05:05But what those Americans said to me, young and old officer and NCO, male and female, black and white was,
05:14let's finish the mission. Get us even more bombs, bigger bombs, more targets. Let us finish this.
05:23In fact, Admiral Cooper noted this morning that the three Air Force captains shot down by Kuwaiti friendly fire
05:29early in the fight weeks ago. They never left the theater. All dropped bombs over Tehran last night.
05:40These men and women live the Iranian threat every day, incoming missiles and drones, and know what a world
05:45looks like, what the world would look like if Iran had the most dangerous weapons in the world, a nuclear
05:51weapon.
05:53As President Trump has said time and time again for years, and in this administration, Iran cannot have a nuclear
05:58bomb, and they won't.
06:00These troops, they want to finish this fight for their kids and their grandkids. This is about history.
06:07This is about legacy. Success matters. And because of this president and these Americans, we're closer than ever before to
06:17winning.
06:18President Trump is doing what no other president had the guts to do. Previous presidents were all talk. He's all
06:27action.
06:28On the battlefield, because of the latitude the president has given us, American firepower is only increasing.
06:37Iran's decreasing. We have more and more options, and they have less. Just one month in, only one month, we
06:47set the terms.
06:48The upcoming days will be decisive. Iran knows that, and there's almost nothing they can militarily do about it.
06:55Yes, they will still shoot some missiles, but we will shoot them down.
07:00Of note, the last 24 hours saw the lowest number of enemy missiles and drones fired by Iran.
07:07They will go underground, but we will find them.
07:11We recently destroyed another one of their command bunkers. Leaders forced to flee. No water, no power, no oxygen, no
07:19command and control.
07:20Their faith in their caves diminishing.
07:25The latest intel is clear out of CENTCOM.
07:28Our strikes are damaging the morale of the Iranian military, leading to widespread desertions, key personnel shortages, and causing frustrations
07:36amongst senior leaders.
07:39Just last night, we had 200 dynamic strikes alone.
07:44Dynamic strike is a strike where a pilot leaves, and during their flight, they get a new target set based
07:50on real-time intel given to them.
07:52A new launcher, a new location, a new troop formation.
07:55A dynamic target is one that changes while you're in the air because of improved intelligence.
08:00200 dynamic strikes alone, in addition to the pre-planned targets.
08:05The video the president posted last night of Esfahan, an ammo depot struck by U.S. bombers.
08:12You see, you don't get to see many of those videos because, as a reminder, Iran has still shut off
08:18the Internet to 99.9% of its population.
08:23But if Iran is wise, they will cut a deal.
08:27President Trump doesn't bluff, and he does not back down.
08:30You can ask Khomeini about that.
08:32The new Iranian regime should know that by now.
08:36This new regime, because regime change has occurred, should be wiser than the last.
08:44President Trump will make a deal.
08:46He is willing.
08:47And the terms of the deal are known to them.
08:50If Iran is not willing, then the United States War Department will continue with even more intensity.
08:59Standing here this morning, in this briefing room, in my mind's eye, I'm actually looking out at the groups I
09:05met this weekend.
09:07The pilots, the logisticians, the intel analysts, the targeters, the sustainers, the flight crews, the air defenders, the base security.
09:19Those maintainers who we walked up at sunset with the chill and the air on the flight line.
09:26May God watch over all of them each day and each night.
09:32May his almighty and eternal arms of providence stretch over them and protect them and bring them peace.
09:40In the name of Jesus Christ.
09:43And amen.
09:44Mr. Chairman, over to you.
09:45Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
09:46Good morning, everyone.
09:48And thank you again for being here.
09:49As operations continue, I remain deeply grateful for the service and determination of 2.8 million members of our joint
09:57force,
09:57each of whom are serving something greater than themselves.
10:01Every day, those deployed, and in many cases, those at home who are deploying forward and bomber pulses and others,
10:08put themselves in harm's way, and we owe them a deep debt of gratitude.
10:12I remain especially grateful for our fallen who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
10:17We'll never forget their valor and their determination to do something greater than themselves.
10:24And each day, we continue to earn what they've given to us.
10:28This morning, I want to share that yesterday, the joint force had the honor of participating in the burial of
10:34Colonel Clarence Emil Bud Anderson,
10:37who passed away in May of 2024 at the ripe old age of 102.
10:42He was laid to rest in Arlington Cemetery yesterday morning alongside his wife of 70 years, Eleanor,
10:50who he married on February 23, 1945.
10:54She passed away in 2015 at the age of 92.
10:58Bud yesterday, a legend to our Air Force and fighter pilots everywhere,
11:02was honored with a combination flyby of F-35s and a four-ship of P-51 Mustangs.
11:08He was one of the most prolific flying aces of World War II and the highest-scoring P-51 ace
11:14with 16 and a quarter kills in his squadron and in his group, and he served from 1942 to 1972,
11:23and his last combat tour was flying F-104 Thunder Chiefs over North Vietnam.
11:29For anyone that had the chance to meet Colonel Anderson, you knew what an incredibly special man he was.
11:35And that's true for each and every one of our World War II vets who become fewer and fewer with
11:41each passing day.
11:43They are the greatest generation and give us the gift of an incredible example as we execute Operation Epic Fury
11:51today.
11:51And Colonel Anderson, we mourn for your loss and remember that smile on the right side as you went out
11:59to do our nation's business.
12:00I'd like to now share an operational update.
12:03Our joint force continues to focus on our military objectives as we systematically continue to degrade and destroy Iran's ability
12:11to project power
12:13and threaten stability beyond its borders.
12:16First, the joint force continues to destroy Iran's ballistic missile and UAS capabilities.
12:22We remain focused on interdicting and destroying the logistical and supply chains that feed these programs.
12:29And this remains a truly joint effort prosecuted around the clock from air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace.
12:37Long-range bombers from U.S. Strategic Command are coordinating with tactical fighter aircraft from our joint force launched from
12:44bases around the region and the continental United States.
12:47While simultaneously, Navy fighters from the sea and sailors continue to project power from the sea while Army and Marine
12:55artillery units continue to execute long-range precision fires deep into enemy territory against high-value targets.
13:03Meanwhile, on the defense side, our Army and air defenders and aviators, as the Secretary talked about, remain vigilant, forming
13:11a shield to protect our forces and our partners, intercepting missiles and drones.
13:16Together, we continue to deliver precision strikes against key manufacturing nodes, component storage sites, research facilities deep within Iranian territory.
13:27And over the past 29, I'm sorry, 30 days, we've struck more than 11,000 targets.
13:33Given the increase in air superiority, we've successfully started to conduct the first overland B-52 missions,
13:42which allow us, as we've said before, to continue to get on top of the enemy.
13:47And as the Secretary talked about, switch towards more and more dynamic targets, servicing mobile targets around the battle space.
13:58We've continued to do the work against Iran's missile, drone, and naval production facilities.
14:03And we continue the multi-domain pressure that we've talked about.
14:07Second, on the Navy front, we continue to assert dominance over the Iranian Navy.
14:13We remain focused on targeting their mine lane capability, their naval assets.
14:18And we've now, as I mentioned briefly last time, started to work attack helicopters and other close air support assets
14:24into the naval domain.
14:26CENTCOM continues to identify and work against naval depots and storage areas.
14:32And we've taken out, again, more than 150 ships, including all Jameran-class frigates inside their Navy.
14:40Third, we continue to prosecute our campaign against our defense industrial base at scale.
14:45This includes factories, warehouses, nuclear weapons research and development labs,
14:51and the associated infrastructure required for Iran to reconstitute its combat capability.
14:58I'd like to continue my theme of highlighting the incredible contributions of Americans to our joint force.
15:05Today, I want to talk a little bit about a different front line, a line that doesn't have bunkers or
15:12guard posts,
15:13but is just as critical to our nation's security, our national assembly lines.
15:18Today, I want to recognize a group of Americans who live at the beginning of our nation's combat power,
15:23the Americans who actually make our weapons, both inside our defense industrial base,
15:29but even more broadly inside our national industrial base.
15:33In every military option, we could not and cannot do our jobs without the men and women across our country
15:41who show up every day around the clock to a factory floor, a workshop, a laboratory,
15:48who build the weapons and capabilities we need to project American combat power at the time and place of our
15:56choosing.
15:57These great Americans, and I've had a chance to spend some time with them when I was in the private
16:01sector,
16:02are the core of American combat power.
16:05They're the machinists running high-tech CNC machines,
16:08cutting raw blocks of metal into incredibly precise parts.
16:12They're the assembly workers painstakingly taking a kit of parts and turning that into a complex guidance system
16:19or precision munition or a rocket motor or building a jet or submarine.
16:24Or they're quality assurance technicians who ensure that when a warfighter pulls a trigger,
16:31the weapon works every time.
16:34This can be and is tough and gritty work.
16:38It's not a quiet office and a desk with paper, and there's nothing wrong with that,
16:43but this is exactly the way this group of Americans likes it.
16:47I know this.
16:48I've seen it myself, and I remain deeply honored by that gift.
16:51It's often loud and dangerous work demanding that requires absolute focus for hours at a time
16:59with deep commitment to get it right every single time.
17:02It's hands-on work where one uncaught mistake or deviation can put an American's life at risk.
17:10A single misplaced wire, a microscopic flaw, and a weld incorrectly calibrated sensor
17:16could mean the difference between mission success or mission failure.
17:20The difference is measured in the lives of our sons and daughters who we put out around the field
17:26and on the field of battle.
17:28We rely on and trust in these great Americans, and it's not just their manufacturing skill.
17:34It's their innovative minds and their entrepreneurial spirit.
17:38From those who build exquisite capabilities down to the mom-and-pop machine shops all over this great country,
17:45they live at the beginning of and the core of America's combat capability,
17:51constantly adapting, constantly improving, constantly learning.
17:56And there are examples of this throughout history and current days,
18:00to include building things like the F-117 stealth fighter, the B-2 stealth bomber,
18:07making our combat capability undetectable over the enemy, to today's B-21 and F-47.
18:14It's work like in the shipyards of the East Coast and Northeast side of the United States
18:19that go out and build America's nuclear submarines that allow us to patrol around the world
18:25at the time and place of our choosing.
18:28These innovators, these workers, these incredible Americans don't get the same glory as a fighter pilot
18:34returning to a carrier deck at night or an artilleryman sending rounds downrange,
18:39and yet they show up every single day.
18:42And without them, we could not do the work that we are tasked to do.
18:4724-7, they build the tools that we need to do our business.
18:51The skill, the commitment, the patriotism, the dedication poured into every piece of combat capability
18:59and hardware is seen and felt out at the edge of the force,
19:05as the Secretary talked about those young bomb builders out in the desert that he had the chance to see.
19:11You can see it, you can feel it, and it's real, and we're deeply grateful.
19:17So to the American workforce out there, both inside our defense industrial base
19:22and in our national industrial base, thank you on behalf of the joint force.
19:27We carry the weapons that you build.
19:29We rely on the systems that you create, and the distance from that factory floor
19:34and that assembly line to the front line is incredibly short.
19:39Thank you, keep it up.
19:40And to our adversaries out there, I remind you to beware of the American workforce.
19:46We continue to press forward in our military objectives.
19:50The Secretary and I remain deeply humbled by the spirit, tenacity, commitment, and grit
19:55of our 2.8 million member strong joint force.
19:59I want to, as always, thank the force and their families, and as always, remember our fallen.
20:05We carry with them and their names every day.
20:08Sir, I'll turn it back over to you.
20:09Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
20:10Two things.
20:11He didn't note it, but in memory of Colonel Bud Anderson, the chairman himself flew his F-16 to honor
20:17him recently.
20:18And thank you for highlighting the defense industrial base, the arsenal of freedom.
20:21It's worth noting no one has rebuilt that defense industrial base faster and with more purpose than President Trump.
20:27In his first term and now, we're rebuilding the arsenal of freedom.
20:31Our defense industrial base is more vibrant today than it's been since World War II and growing rapidly.
20:37Contrast that with Iran, whose defense industrial base is nearly completely destroyed.
20:43Their ability to reconstitute the weapons of war they're using now that they're hiding in underground facilities
20:48and it's trading over time, their ability to rebuild that is negligible.
20:53And I think that contrast is an enduring legacy of this as well.
20:56Right here.
20:57Thank you for your time.
20:59We've had some signaling that the U.S. will retake control of the Strait of Hormuz.
21:04At that point, what military posture will be imposed to guarantee safe passage for our allies, deter our enemies,
21:12and demonstrate U.S. dominance in the region?
21:15And also, can you speak to how much America's adversaries, Russia, China, North Korea,
21:22how much they're supporting Iran's war machine at this point with arms and intelligence
21:26and what we are militarily doing to punish the enemy coalition?
21:32Appreciate both questions.
21:33On the Strait of Hormuz, there are many more vessels flowing through today than there were, as the president has
21:39arranged.
21:40The president's been clear to Iran, open it for business, or we have options, and we certainly do.
21:45And when you look at what the chairman laid out with the Navy, with the Navy industrial base,
21:48with coastal cruise missiles, with UAVs, with countermine capabilities,
21:52we've been focused from the beginning on a trading and defeating those capabilities and limiting their options.
21:57There's lots we're doing as well, some of which is known, some of which is not known, to set the
22:02conditions.
22:03And I think the president was clear this morning in his truth that there are countries around the world
22:09who ought to be prepared to step up on this critical waterway as well.
22:14It's not just the United States Navy.
22:16Last time I checked, there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy that could be prepared to do
22:20things like that as well.
22:21So he's pointing out this is an international waterway that we use less than most, in fact, dramatically less than
22:26most.
22:27So the world ought to pay attention and be prepared to stand up.
22:30President Trump's been willing to do the heavy lifting on behalf of the free world to address this threat of
22:34Iran.
22:35It's not just our problem set going forward, even though we have done the lion's share of preparation
22:40to ensure that that strait will be open, which is an outcome the president's been very clear on.
22:46As far as Russia and China, we know exactly what they're doing, what they are or are not doing.
22:50We don't have to air publicly what all of that is, but where necessary, we're addressing it and we're mitigating
22:55it
22:56and or we're confronting it head on.
22:59I don't know if you have anything you want to add.
23:00No, sir. I think you covered it.
23:01Do you have any timeline for operability in the strait?
23:04Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
23:06David Zier, Real America's Voice.
23:08And I witnessed that enthusiasm on the lines and our submarine builders and the ironworks.
23:13It's unbelievable.
23:15But I just wanted to ask you, what's the status of the delivery of any hardened bunkers for additional protection
23:22for our troops?
23:23And without getting too specific, what kind of measures are we taking to protect some of the larger, more strategic
23:28aircraft like the sentry and other?
23:32Well, it's a great question.
23:33I'll say what I witnessed where I went was a completely locked in discipline of bunker use and bunker improvement.
23:44So from the beginning, as we stated very clearly, the first thing we did was set up a defense and
23:49make sure our defensive capabilities were maxed out before any of this even started.
23:53That included fortifications as much as possible.
23:56But it also included disbursement.
23:58If all of our people are in one place, you could imagine why that's a big problem.
24:02So dispersing is part of that defeat.
24:05Alongside that disbursement is more and more bunkers.
24:08And I can tell you, talking to base commanders, talking to our allies in Israel, talking to others, rapidly fielding
24:14that and then improving those positions is a theater priority, no doubt.
24:17As are the air defenses and the layered air defenses.
24:21It's not just patriots and THADs.
24:23It's fighters and defensive caps.
24:25It's other kinetic defeat systems.
24:26It's electronic warfare.
24:27So the defense of our troops and our assets is maxed.
24:32I will say on some of those other assets you talked about, air wings, air frames, there's some things adversaries
24:38are doing to provide info and intel that they shouldn't.
24:41We're aware of it.
24:43And ultimately, we move things around and don't.
24:45One of the biggest principles you learn in the military is to not set patterns, predictable patterns.
24:51And so we're – commanders are working hard to adjust in real time with those systems and make sure they're
24:57in the right places and not easily targetable.
24:59Jillian.
25:00Thanks, Mr. Secretary.
25:02The U.S. and Iran appear right now publicly to disagree about whether there are these negotiations ongoing.
25:09What impact does that have on military strategy?
25:11Does it have any bearing at all?
25:14And, General, the President wrote yesterday that the U.S. might destroy Iran's electricity-generating plants and oil wells.
25:24Those are his words before ending this operation.
25:27Is there a way to do either of those things without, like, seriously jeopardizing or seriously harming civilians?
25:37So on the talks, I can tell you, having been with Steve and Jared and the Vice President and Marco
25:44and many others yesterday, they are very real.
25:46They are ongoing.
25:47They're active and, I think, gaining strength.
25:51And we appreciate that.
25:52As I said in my remarks, we would much prefer to get a deal.
25:55If Iran was willing to relinquish material they have and ambitions they have, open this – great.
26:02That's the goal.
26:03We don't want to have to do more militarily than we have to.
26:06But I didn't mean it flippantly when I said, in the meantime, we'll negotiate with bombs.
26:10Our job is to ensure that we compel Iran to realize that this new regime, this regime in charge, is
26:16in a better place if they make that deal.
26:18And so we'll continue.
26:19We're working hand-in-hand, but the primary effort is a deal.
26:22We want that deal to be accomplished, if at all possible.
26:25If not, then we're prepared to continue.
26:28Secretary, what happened at this time?
26:29Go ahead, Mr. Chairman.
26:33Thanks for the question.
26:34We're always thinking about those considerations and develop options to be able to mitigate those risks,
26:40pursuant to the normal practices that we do in the military.
26:44So.
26:44Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
26:46I know you slightly addressed this already, but just on the Strait of Hormuz, is opening the Strait an essential
26:51objective to Operation Epic Fury?
26:53Or is that the job of those other countries?
26:57And then secondly, without asking you to comment on things that you can't talk about, what is your message to
27:02Americans who love the President and strongly believe in him,
27:05but are very worried about this notion of boots on the ground?
27:09Well, first on the Strait of Hormuz, our core objectives from this podium, from day one, from me, from the
27:17Chairman, from the President, from the Vice President,
27:19from Secretary Rubio and others have been clear.
27:23Defense missile production and missile programs, so their entire missile program, defense industrial base and production ability to build,
27:31and Navy and power projection.
27:33So those have been, and then of course, wrapping it all is Iran's never going to have a nuclear weapon.
27:37So those have been very clear.
27:38Defeating the Navy is a core part of ensuring they can't project that kind of power.
27:41But ultimately, I think the President's truth this morning lays that out very well,
27:46that this Strait of Hormuz issue, which we've set the conditions for success,
27:50and we will make sure Iran knows that very clearly, is not just a United States of America problem set.
27:57We've been willing to lead.
27:58President Trump's led the entire time, but it's not just us.
28:02So ultimately, I think other countries should pay attention when the President speaks.
28:05He's proven that when he speaks, he means something.
28:07And he's pointing out, you know, you might want to start learning how to fight for yourself.
28:13It's something some of us have been saying for quite some time.
28:16You can't just have flags.
28:17You have to have formations.
28:19You can't just have a few ships.
28:20You have enough to affect change.
28:22Those things matter in a dangerous world with ascendant adversaries.
28:25That's why the Chairman's talking about our industrial base.
28:28That's why we're launching the Arsenal of Freedom Tour to revive our defense industrial base.
28:33President Trump doing it in a way that nobody else has.
28:35As far as President Trump and boots on the ground, I don't understand why the base, which they have already,
28:43they understand wouldn't have faith in his ability to execute on this.
28:46Look at his track record of pursuing peace through strength, America first outcomes.
28:52And what he's simply saying, and it's exactly true, and I've said from this podium too,
28:56we're not going to foreclose any option.
28:58You can't fight and win a war if you tell your adversary what you are willing to do
29:03or what you are not willing to do to include boots on the ground.
29:07Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground.
29:12And guess what? There are. So if we needed to, we could execute those options on behalf of the President
29:18of the United States
29:18and this department. Or maybe we don't have to use them at all.
29:22Maybe negotiations work, or maybe there's a different approach.
29:25The point is to be unpredictable in that. Certainly not let anybody know what you're willing to do or not
29:30do.
29:30But if anybody has internalized the lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan as the first one, President Trump,
29:36to call them out for what they are, he's not going to repeat those lessons.
29:39And I think I've been very clear about that from the podium.
29:42One last.
29:42Thank you, Secretary Hexth. A question for you and then a question for General Cain.
29:47You said we're a month into the Operation Epic Fury.
29:50How long until the objectives are achieved?
29:52And is there a scenario where a deal is struck before the objectives have been achieved?
29:57And then for General Cain, there's been lots of media coverage that suggested a ground invasion is imminent.
30:04What other purposes might the soldiers and the Marines who have been deployed over to the Middle East serve in
30:11this conflict?
30:12Well, just like the previous question, it's sort of military 101.
30:16One, don't tell your enemy what you're willing to do or not do.
30:21And don't tell your enemy when you're willing to stop, especially an enemy that likes to hide in bunkers and
30:26try to hoard their missiles and hope you'll wait you out.
30:28So that's not a question I'm going to answer or the president has said definitively, we have our own goals
30:34and guidance and military objectives that we're moving toward and things that we look at.
30:39And as he's articulated, you know, he said four to six weeks, six to eight weeks, three, it could be
30:45any particular number, but we would never reveal precisely what it is because our goal is to finish those objectives.
30:51And we're well on our way.
30:53And the chairman and I look at this every single day.
30:55It will be the president's determination and the president's determination alone when those objectives are complete and when it serves
31:02the interest of the American people to cut that deal,
31:05to make sure that Iran doesn't have a nuclear capability and ultimately that our objectives or our interests are advanced.
31:13I don't know if you want to add anything.
31:14No, just to answer your question, Reagan, you know, the range of military options that those forces can offer are
31:22extensive, not just limited to what you mentioned in terms of forces on the ground.
31:27And I wouldn't want to take away the president's decision space, but there are a multitude of things, not the
31:33least of which is Iran should note that they're out there and that they are a pressure point.
31:39And so they should carefully consider, I think, at the diplomatic level, not not my job as a chairman, but
31:46at the diplomatic level to consider what's in front of them.
31:49Jerry.
31:51Okay, Mr. Secretary, the U.S. government, I see, assessed for many years that Iran is protecting al-Qaeda senior
32:01leaders, including the current Amir Saif al-Aidol.
32:05Does the U.S. assess that he's still in Iran?
32:08Has he fled to Afghanistan?
32:10Is he on a target list?
32:13And Mr. Chairman, based on CENTCOM figures and open source, Iranian daily missile barrages and drone launches have indeed dropped
32:25dramatically since the start of the war, but they're not at zero.
32:29And they seem to have maintained some level of low but stable numbers.
32:36Perhaps they've dropped a little bit more in recent days.
32:38How do we get that closer to zero, and what impact is Iran's degraded but still very real capability impacting
32:49current and future operations?
32:51So I won't speak to a particular target.
32:53I'll just say that al-Qaeda remains our enemy, obviously, and there are a lot of people on our target
32:59list in Iran.
33:01And if they were to be harboring al-Qaeda, they would certainly fit that list.
33:04Just quickly, you know, the mobile targets that they have that we continue to service, as the Secretary talked about
33:12the 200 hits that were done last night, that's one component of continuing to lower that.
33:17The second and more long-term impact that we're having is the strikes against their defense industrial base at scale,
33:25which will not allow them to reload after that.
33:28So we do continue to see a trend down.
33:30They are still shooting, and we do continue to exert significant pressure against both sides of that system.
33:37Secretary, thank you for your question.
33:39Do you still believe, you'd said previously, that the Iranian leadership would surrender?
33:44Do you still believe that?
33:45And is the United States still committed to NATO's collective defense?
33:50And to Chairman McCain, could you give us a sense of your thinking about the legality of striking desalinization plans
33:57if the President were to order that?
34:01I will just say that any mission that ends on our terms, you're going to call it a surrender, call
34:05it a defeat, call it what you want.
34:06We remain committed to a conflict that ends on our terms and the President's terms.
34:11There's no doubt about that.
34:13And as far as NATO's concerned, that's a decision that will be left to the President.
34:16But I'll just say a lot has been laid bare.
34:20A lot has been shown to the world about what our allies would be willing to do for the United
34:25States of America when we undertake an effort of this scope on behalf of the free world.
34:30These are missiles that don't even range the United States of America.
34:32They range allies and others.
34:34And yet when we ask for additional assistance or simple access basing and overflight, we get questions or roadblocks or
34:43hesitations.
34:44And the President's pointing out, you don't have much of an alliance if you have countries that are not willing
34:50to stand with you when you need them.
34:52He's simply pointing that out.
34:53And ultimately, it'll be his decision of what that looks like after this is completed.
34:57I'll just, I won't talk about any particular target.
34:59This really builds on Jillian's question, too, that I don't think I completely answered.
35:03But, you know, the joint force is the most professional force in the world.
35:07And we have numerous processes and systems to carefully consider the whole range of considerations, from civilian risk to legal
35:15considerations with any target.
35:17And as targets come before us, we run them through the same process that we always do and always strike
35:24lawful targets in accordance with the normal procedures that we use.
35:28Mr. Chairman, can you leave no order, no mercy for enemy combatants?
35:33Go ahead.
35:33Go ahead.
35:34For me?
35:34Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
35:35Thank you, sir.
35:36Right there.
35:36No.
35:36Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
35:38I appreciate it.
35:38On Sunday, President Trump said that Iran's first regime was all destroyed and the second one is mostly dead.
35:44The third regime that we're on right now has been much more reasonable in negotiations.
35:48Do you agree with that assessment and why?
35:50I would defer to the negotiating team there.
35:52They're the ones talking to them, but they're getting a back and forth on terms, which is a productive development.
35:58We stand right there next to our negotiating team, always willing and prepared to put them in an even better
36:04position.
36:05Thank you very much.
36:06I appreciate it.
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