PETE HEGSETH HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE ON IRAN WAR

[11:59] Hello, everyone. Please silence your phones and please remove all your IDs. [20:54] Iran has been a threat to the United States and the free world for 47 years. [21:01] Chants of death to America targeting our people, killing Americans, [21:05] lying and blackmailing their way toward a nuclear weapon, so they thought. [21:11] No longer not on our watch. [21:15] Other presidents marked time and kicked the can down the road. [21:18] President Trump made history. [21:22] From the strike that took out Qasem Soleimani, to tearing up the disastrous Obama-Iran deal, [21:29] to the precision campaign that obliterated Iran's nuclear sites in Operation Midnight Hammer, [21:33] to the decisive military victory we just achieved in Operation Epic Fury, [21:39] no other president has shown the courage and resolve of this Commander-in-Chief. [21:45] President Trump forged this moment. [21:48] Iran begged for this ceasefire, and we all know it. [21:53] As the president truth this morning, a big day for world peace. [21:58] Iran wants it to happen. [21:59] They've had enough. [22:03] Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield, [22:10] a capital-V military victory. [22:14] By any measure, Epic Fury decimated Iran's military and rendered it combat ineffective for years to come. [22:23] You see, in less than 40 days, one of our combatant commands, Central Command, CENTCOM, [22:30] using less than 10% of America's total combat power, dismantled one of the world's largest militaries. [22:37] The world's leading state sponsor of terrorism proved utterly incapable of defending itself, its people, or its territory. [22:47] We untied just a fraction of our strength, and Iran suffered a devastating military defeat. [22:55] Together with our Israeli partners, America's military achieved every single objective, on plan, on schedule, exactly as laid out from day one. [23:07] Iran's Navy is at the bottom of the sea, whether it's the Soleimani class, their frigate class, their prized drone aircraft carriers, submarines, mine layers sunk. [23:20] Iran's Air Force has been wiped out. [23:23] Iran no longer has an air defense, any sort of a comprehensive air defense system. [23:28] We own their skies. [23:31] Their missile program is functionally destroyed. [23:34] Launchers, production facilities, and existing stockpiles depleted and decimated, and almost completely ineffective. [23:42] Iran shot hundreds and hundreds of missiles and one-way attack drones at our aircraft carrier. [23:48] They were obsessed with it, and they never got even close. [23:53] Every single one of those shots easily shot down miles and miles away from the Abe Lincoln. [23:59] They were blowing ammo into fantasy land. [24:04] Contrast that with most significantly. [24:08] In last night's wave of more than 800 strikes, we finished completely destroying Iran's defense industrial base, a core pillar of our mission objective. [24:19] What little they have left, buried in bunkers, is all they will have. [24:24] They can still shoot, we know that. [24:28] Their command and control is so decimated, they can't really talk and coordinate. [24:32] So they still may shoot here and there, but that would be very, very unwise. [24:36] But they can no longer build missiles, build rockets, build launchers, or build UAVs. [24:43] Their factories have been razed to the ground, set back in historic fashion. [24:50] You see, had Iran refused our terms, the next targets would have been their power plants, their bridges, and oil and energy infrastructure. [24:59] Targets they could not defend and could not realistically rebuild. [25:05] It would have taken them decades, and we were locked and loaded. [25:09] They couldn't defend against it. [25:10] President Trump had the power to cripple Iran's entire economy in minutes, but he chose mercy. [25:20] He spared those targets because Iran accepted the ceasefire under overwhelming pressure. [25:26] The new Iranian regime understood that a deal was far better than the fate that awaited them. [25:34] This new regime just happened to look at what happened to their predecessors. [25:38] Their top leadership was systematically eliminated. [25:43] The previous Iranian Supreme Leader, dead. [25:47] The Supreme National Security Council Secretary, dead. [25:51] The Supreme Leader Office Advisor, dead. [25:55] The Supreme Leader Military Office Chief, dead. [25:59] The Defense Minister, no longer with us. [26:03] The IRGC Commander, dead. [26:06] The Armed Forces General Staff Commander, dead. [26:10] The Intelligence Minister, dead. [26:13] The IRGC Navy Commander, no longer here. [26:18] The IRGC Intel Chief, dead. [26:20] I skipped over a bunch, and I could go on and on and on to include the so-called new Supreme Leader, wounded and disfigured. [26:30] This new regime was out of options and out of time, so they cut a deal. [26:37] They know this agreement means that they will never, ever possess a nuclear weapon. [26:43] Under the terms, any nuclear material they should have will be removed. [26:49] Any material, excuse me, they should not have will be removed. [26:53] Right now, their dust is deeply buried and watched 24-7 overhead. [26:58] The President has been clear from the beginning, there will be no Iranian nuclear weapons. [27:03] Period. [27:05] Full stop. [27:06] Other Presidents said it. [27:08] President Trump did it. [27:10] Operation Epic Fury. [27:13] Less than six weeks. [27:15] Clear mission. [27:16] Decisive action. [27:17] Overwhelming firepower. [27:19] America first. [27:20] A historic battlefield victory. [27:22] For decades, Iran killed Americans with roadside bombs in Iraq. [27:28] Using cowardly proxies to do their dirty work while they hid safely in Tehran. [27:33] They struck our embassies with car bombs and attacked from the shadows, never daring to face us toe-to-toe. [27:40] They thought they could bleed America with impunity. [27:44] Well, they just learned the hard way what happens when you try to fight us directly. [27:50] And even when they got lucky, one time in 40 days, and down two of our pilots, they couldn't hold them. [27:59] In a daring 14-hour rescue operation, seven hours in daylight and seven hours of night, both pilots were recovered safely. [28:08] Not once, but twice. [28:11] A daylight thunder run right up the middle of their country. [28:17] Boots on the ground. [28:20] A midnight raid right up the middle of their country. [28:25] Boots on the ground. [28:28] Zero American casualties. [28:31] The Iranians humiliated and demoralized. [28:34] We control their fate, not the other way around. [28:37] That's why they came to the table. [28:40] Iran's defeat is America's retribution for every American loss to Iranian terror. [28:47] Especially those brave troops killed by Iranian-made roadside bombs in Iraq that my generation knows so well. [28:54] And for the suffering their regime has inflicted around the world. [28:59] Now we have a chance at real peace and a real deal. [29:02] The War Department, for now, for now, has done its part. [29:07] We stand ready in the background to ensure Iran upholds every reasonable term. [29:13] And as everyone knows, nobody makes a better deal than President Trump. [29:19] To the warriors of epic fury, I say well done. [29:23] You're the backbone of our country. [29:26] Your skill, your bravery, and sheer guts and grit showed the world what America is all about. [29:31] I'm proud of you. [29:34] We're proud of you. [29:35] The President is proud of you. [29:37] Job well done. [29:39] But stay vigilant and stay ready. [29:42] To the families of our fallen, your sacrifice was in service of a historic cause. [29:47] And we will always remember your heroes, our heroes. [29:50] We will continue to honor them. [29:53] And to our Israeli allies, thank you for being a brave, capable, and willing ally on this battlefield. [30:01] The rest of the world and the rest of our so-called allies saw what real capabilities look like. [30:06] They should take some notes. [30:08] Our troops, our American warriors deserve the credit for this day. [30:14] But God deserves all the glory. [30:18] Tens of thousands of sorties, refuelings, and strikes carried out under the protection of divine providence. [30:25] A massive effort with miraculous protection. [30:29] Dude 44 Bravo spoke for all of us. [30:34] God is good. [30:37] The Chairman will now provide an even deeper military detail on the historic success of Operation Epic Fury. [30:44] Mr. Chairman. [30:45] Thank you, Mr. Secretary. [30:47] And good morning, ladies and gentlemen. [30:49] Thanks for being here. [30:50] I want to start this morning by honoring the 13 members of our American Joint Force who were killed in action thus far during this operation. [30:57] Their sacrifice and that of their families is deeply important to us. [31:03] And we are grateful for each of them and will continue to mourn their loss. [31:08] Their names and their bravery will never be forgotten. [31:12] On February 28th, the President of the United States ordered the Joint Force to execute Operation Epic Fury with the direction to accomplish three distinct military objectives. [31:23] Destroy Iran's ballistic missile and drone capabilities. [31:27] Destroy the Iranian Navy. [31:29] And destroy their defense industrial base to ensure that Iran cannot reconstitute the ability to project power outside their borders. [31:37] Over the course of 38 days of major combat operation, the Joint Force achieved the military objectives as defined by the President. [31:44] We welcome the ongoing ceasefire. [31:48] And as the Secretary said, we hope that Iran chooses a lasting peace. [31:52] But as Secretary Hegseth said, let us be clear, a ceasefire is a pause and the Joint Force remains ready if ordered or called upon to resume combat operations. [32:03] With the same speed and precision as we've demonstrated over the last 38 days. [32:09] And we hope that that is not the case. [32:11] I want to congratulate and thank the leadership today at U.S. Central Command, including the Commander Admiral Brad Cooper. [32:19] The Deputy Commander Lieutenant General Kevin Leahy. [32:22] The Senior Enlisted Leader Fleet Master Chief Compton. [32:26] And every one of the component commanders, senior enlisted leaders. [32:30] And especially the staff down at U.S. Central Command, who does not get called out for any of the credit, but grinds 24-7 to help offer the options that we bring to the Secretary and the President. [32:42] I also want to highlight the forces in the United States European Command under the command of Alexis Grinkowicz, who protected the western flank in support of CENTCOM. [32:52] And I want to thank our partners across the intelligence community. [32:57] Our ability to see and understand what an adversary is doing help us to be as decisive as we must be on the battlefield. [33:06] And that includes DIA, NSA, NGA, the CIA, and the National Reconnaissance Office, and others. [33:14] I want to thank the other combatant commands who have thus far contributed along the way to U.S. Central Command. [33:20] This includes Transcom, Stratcom, Spacecom, SOCOM, and Cybercom, all of whom poured all in in support of CENTCOM's efforts. [33:32] And I want to thank, as the Secretary did, our Gulf partners who fought alongside each and every one of us every day. [33:40] From the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan, all who joined us together to defend and protect our people and our assets. [33:51] And who, if required, stand ready to do so again. [33:55] And I want to thank my team at the Joint Staff, who work literally around the clock in order to help me offer the options that I must with the associated risks to the Secretary and to the President. [34:09] They are the hardest working people that I know, and I am deeply grateful for their service. [34:15] Most importantly today, I want to thank America's members of the Joint Force, who've poured everything that they can into Operation Epic Fury, and their families, who've worked 24 hours a day for 38 days. [34:31] The Secretary and I could not be more proud of each and every one of you. [34:36] And we deeply appreciate the support of the American people, who we know always have us in our thoughts and prayers. [34:44] And we can feel this literally every single day. [34:49] As the Secretary said, the United States has devastated the regime's ability to harm Americans and our interests for years to come. [34:56] Since the beginning of major combat operations, the United States Joint Forces struck more than 13,000 targets, including in that 13,000, more than 4,000 dynamic targets that popped up on the battlefield and were immediately addressed, [35:11] thanks to the exceptional command and control system and intelligence, acumen, and agility of our Joint Force. [35:18] CENTCOM forces destroyed approximately 80% of Iran's air defense systems, striking more than 1,500 air defense targets. [35:26] More than 450 ballistic missile storage facilities, 800 one-way attack drones storage facilities. [35:34] All of these systems are gone. [35:36] We've devastated Iran's command and control and logistical networks, destroying more than 2,000 command and control nodes and degrading their ability to target U.S. and friendly forces. [35:48] It is, and we know this, incredibly frustrating right now to be a lower-level Iranian commander trying to fight your fight. [35:57] As the Secretary said, the Iranian Navy now lies mostly at the bottom of the Arabian Gulf, and we assess that we've sunk more than 90% of their regular fleet, including all of the major surface combatants, as the Secretary said. [36:10] 150 ships are at the bottom of the ocean, and half of the IRGC Navy's small attack boats. [36:17] Joint fires projected from the land, sea, and air executed more than 700 strikes against naval mine targets, and we assess that we destroyed more than 95% of their naval mines. [36:31] And perhaps most importantly, we've destroyed Iran's defense industrial base, their ability to reconstitute those capabilities for years to come. [36:42] We attacked, along with our partners, approximately 90% of their weapons factories. [36:47] Every factory that produced Shahid one-way attack drones was struck. [36:52] Every factory that produces the guidance systems that go into those drones was struck. [36:57] Their missile defense industrial base is shattered with more than 80% of their missile facilities gone, as well as their solid rocket motor production capability. [37:08] It will take years for Iran to rebuild any major surface combatants, as more than 20 naval production and fabrication facilities have been damaged or destroyed. [37:20] And nearly 80% of Iran's nuclear industrial base was hit, further degrading their attempts to attain a nuclear weapon. [37:29] Throughout Operation Epic Fury, our Joint Force struck at the heart of Iran's ability to project power and threaten the United States and the region. [37:39] And in order to do this, it required the service and sacrifice of more than 50,000 American warfighters deployed across CENTCOM, EUCOM, and Stateside. [37:52] The Joint Force flew more than 10,000 missions, including 62 bomber missions, 18 of which flew round trip from the United States to deliver bombs on military targets. [38:07] Each of these missions was more than 30 hours in duration, and we did that 18 times. [38:14] No other military in the world can do that. [38:17] And it's a testament to the logistical force that quietly serves behind them. [38:22] I cannot thank TRANSCOM and the Air Force Tanker and Mobility Force more. [38:28] Combined with Army and Navy Joint Fires, we stuck more than 13,000 targets. [38:33] And along with our Gulf partners, we've thus far intercepted 1,700 ballistic missiles and one-way attack drones, defending our forces and our partners in the civilian population. [38:44] And we remain ready to do so should the need arise. [38:49] Along the way, we consume more than 6 million meals and by my estimate, more than 950,000 gallons of coffee, 2 million energy drinks, and a lot of nicotine. [39:04] But I am not saying that we have a problem. [39:06] I've laid out the statistics, but it does not truly capture the nature of combat. [39:13] This is gritty and unforgiving business. [39:17] It's chaotic. [39:18] It's hot. [39:19] It's dark. [39:20] It's unpredictable. [39:21] And there's always unknowns. [39:23] And our people proudly walked into those unknowns and continue forward. [39:29] And through it all, the Joint Force has demonstrated the unwavering resolve that the nation demands of us. [39:36] We are a mission-focused force and our objective always is to create the conditions for peace. [39:42] And today we have, while be ready should that peace break, which we hope it is not. [39:48] And we remain ready. [39:50] Before I turn it back to the Secretary, I also want to quickly revisit the rescue of the Air Force fighter crew over the weekend. [39:57] To give you an update, we've had, the Secretary and I have had the profound honor of speaking directly with many of the war fighters on that mission. [40:07] From the downed crew that were picked up to those forces that went and got them. [40:13] Hearing these stories firsthand has only deepened our appreciation for their tenacity, creativity, courage, and grit of the American Joint Force. [40:26] This is a story that gets to the very heart and soul of who we are as a joint force. [40:35] Who we are as Americans. [40:38] Selfless sacrifice in service of others. [40:42] From the backseater, Dude44Bravo, whose pure and unadulterated joy at seeing those helicopters come into the valley to get his front seat, [40:56] his front seater in daylight because he knew the front seater did not have a jacket and was so filled with heart leaping joy at his front seater getting picked up. [41:10] To the nighttime folks that went in and then got him. [41:14] To the tanker forces that did the things that they had to do to give their own gas away to the support packages. [41:23] To those that went into the desert landing site not once, not twice, but three times as we fought through multiple contingencies. [41:33] This was and is a joint force that has the guts to try, that does not quit, and who each and every day does the things that we must to dare to win. [41:47] No lives were lost, we succeeded because the joint force is always at the ready, they trust each other, they trust their leaders, and they trust their training. [41:56] And they remember first, foremost, and always that we do these things so that others may live and we will never leave anyone behind. [42:05] The success of Operation Fury thus far, and we hope it remains, culminates with this incredible rescue over the weekend. [42:13] A direct example of the professionalism and courage of the United States military and our joint force. [42:20] It's the service members on the front lines, our partners in the region, our teammates in the intelligence community, our civilian leaders in the OSW side of the house, [42:31] the American workers who build the tools and weapons that we use, and the American people who back us up that help us to go do these things. [42:39] We stand here, I stand here humbled today, but frankly not surprised by what the joint force has been able to do. [42:46] Their performance is fueled by a deep commitment to each other, their mission, and to our country. [42:53] It is an incredible, deep honor for me to be a part of this joint force, and I'm humbled by the service and sacrifice each and every day that I am lucky enough to see. [43:04] And finally, as I always do, I ask that we never forget our fallen and their families, especially those 13 fallen from Operation Epic Fury. [43:15] May we always be worthy of their sacrifice and honor their legacy. [43:20] And with that, sir, I'll turn it back over to you. [43:22] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We'll take a few questions. [43:25] Alexandra Ingersoll, One America News. First of all, thank you to our troops. [43:31] What role is our military playing in escorting vessels through the Strait of Hormuz at this point? [43:38] And the President said on True Social that the U.S. will be hanging around to make sure everything goes well. [43:45] Obviously, Mr. Secretary, you just mentioned, you know, we know the scars from hanging around in Iraq for decades. [43:52] But what does that entail in terms of our military presence at this juncture? [43:56] Yeah, we'll be hanging around. We're not going anywhere. [43:59] We're going to make sure Iran complies with this ceasefire and then ultimately comes to the table and makes a deal. [44:07] So we'll stay put, stay ready, stay vigilant. [44:10] As the chairman laid out, our troops are prepared to defend, prepared to go on offense, prepared to restart at a moment's notice with whatever target package would be needed in order to ensure that Iran complies. [44:21] As far as the Strait, you saw the initial agreement that was struck, which is Iran's letting ships go through. [44:29] So that will be happening. They will be sailing. [44:32] And ultimately, as the president, we've done an incredible job militarily inside the Strait of Hormuz. [44:39] I failed to mention Admiral Cooper's name. [44:42] He's done a phenomenal job, along with everybody at AFSENT and AFSENT and all the components down there, laying the groundwork for Iran. [44:51] Iran doesn't have the same ability to defend it the way they did before. [44:53] And so, as the president has pointed out to the rest of the world, we barely get any of our energy out of the Strait, just a tiny fraction. [45:00] It's time for the rest of the world to step up and ensure that that stays open after President Trump and the War Department brought Iran to the place where they are voluntarily opening it right now, as was announced last night. [45:12] Yes, Jerry. [45:14] Thank you, Mr. Secretary, and thank you both for the update. [45:18] President Trump posted on True Social this morning that there has been a very productive regime change in Iran and that there will be no enrichment of uranium, [45:29] and the U.S. will work with Iran to dig up and remove the deeply buried nuclear dust. [45:35] So I just have two questions here. [45:38] So both you, Mr. Secretary, and the President have referred to a new regime in Iran. [45:43] So is this not the regime that was at war with us for 47 years? [45:49] And how do we – what do we think of when we're saying that this is a new regime? [45:55] What are we thinking and what are we saying there? [45:57] And then my second question is, with any future deal with Iran, is their handing over of all of their enriched uranium [46:06] and their promising not to enrich any future uranium being non-negotiable for the U.S.? [46:11] Well, it's always been non-negotiable that they won't have nuclear capabilities. [46:15] And so right now it's buried and we're watching it. [46:17] We know exactly what they have, and they know that. [46:20] And they will either give it to us, which the President has laid out. [46:23] They'll give it to us voluntarily. [46:25] We'll get it. [46:26] We'll take it. [46:27] We'll take it out. [46:28] Or if we have to do something else ourselves, like we did in Midnight Hammer or something like that, we reserve that opportunity. [46:33] But what's clear, what the Iranian – the new Iranian regime knows is they'll never have a nuclear weapon or the capability to get a path to one. [46:41] As far as the new regime, you heard the list that I read. [46:45] It's a new group of people who've seen the full capability of the United States military and has a new calculus about what it means to negotiate with us, [46:54] hence why they came to the table wanting a ceasefire and the shooting to stop. [46:59] So this new regime, which the regime has been changed, has a different interaction with the U.S. [47:05] Right here. [47:06] Mr. Secretary, thank you. [47:07] Of course. [47:08] I was going in front right here. [47:09] Thank you, Mr. Secretary and General Cain. [47:11] Mary Margaret with The Daily Wire. [47:12] Two questions. [47:13] Iran has said that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible in coordination with Iran's armed forces and, quote, technical limitations. [47:22] What do you believe that means? [47:25] And then we've also heard reports that Iran has continued striking targets well into this morning. [47:29] At what point are we beyond a grace period? [47:32] Are we giving them a grace period? [47:34] Is there a miscommunication there? [47:35] What's going on with that? [47:36] What we know is that Iran is going to say a lot of things. [47:40] A lot of people are going to say a lot of things, claim a lot of things. [47:43] What has been agreed to, what's been stated, is the strait is open. [47:46] Our military is watching. [47:47] I'm sure their military is watching, but commerce will flow. [47:50] And that's what you saw the markets react to is that reality. [47:53] As far as shooting, we were monitoring it last night in real time. [47:57] Of course we are. [47:59] Iran would be wise to find a way to get the carrier pigeon to their troops out in remote locations to know not to shoot, not to shoot any longer. [48:10] One-way attacks or missiles because this takes time sometimes for ceasefires to take hold. [48:15] We're watching it. [48:16] We're prepared, if necessary, but we hope and believe that it will hold. [48:21] Yes. [48:22] Thank you, Secretary Hyatt and Seth. [48:23] Sorry. [48:24] Thank you. [48:25] Excuse me. [48:26] Why are you so rude? [48:27] Just wait. [48:28] I'm calling on people. [48:29] Thank you, Secretary Hyatt and Seth. [48:30] Yesterday in the President's Truth Social, he threatened to wipe out a civilization. [48:34] That statement elicited a huge response in America. [48:38] If Iran did not come to the table and make a deal yesterday by the deadline, was the President really prepared to wipe out Iran entirely? [48:47] Like I said, we had a target set, locked and loaded, of infrastructure, bridges, power plants. [48:53] Remember, this is a terror regime. [48:54] A military regime used all of these things for dual use to fund their military, to fund their terror campaigns. [49:00] We had a lot of legitimate targets. [49:01] They knew exactly the scope of what we were capable of. [49:04] We hit some military targets on CARG, which is a bit of a signal. [49:08] They can't defend it. [49:09] And so Iran ultimately understood their ability, their future, to produce, to generate power, to fuel their terrorist regime was in our hands. [49:20] It was in President Trump's hands. [49:22] That's why they came to the table. [49:24] He ultimately said, we can take it all from you. [49:27] Your ability to export energy will be taken away. [49:30] And the United States military has the ability to strike those things with impunity. [49:34] That type of threat is what brought them to the place where they effectively say, hey, okay, we want to cut this deal. [49:41] Yes, right here. [49:43] Good morning, Mr. Secretary. [49:44] Mr. Chairman, David Zia, Real America's Voice. [49:46] During the ceasefire, what do we do when we see Iran rearming, regrouping, repositioning weapons systems and air defenses? [49:58] And also, have we confirmed the specific model type of air defense or man pads that took down our F-15? [50:05] And is it still a threat for our patrols? [50:09] We're still working through the specific details around that particular shoot down. [50:17] And the crews, when they normally return, go through a debriefing process along with the other members of that flight that were out there. [50:25] And they'll go back, as they always do, and forensically look at what are the tactical lessons learned. [50:31] Did we sense or see something? [50:33] Could we have done something different? [50:35] We do that, as I mentioned in a prior press conference, every single time we take any loss like that so that we become a quick learning organization. [50:45] On the other part of your question around the movement of Iranian military forces, U.S. CENTCOM will continue to monitor that situation. [50:54] They will continue to have a series of response options. [50:58] And if need be, we'll come to the secretary and to the president for guidance and be prepared to do the things that they're ordered to do so against valid military targets in accordance with the normal procedures that we have. [51:13] I would just note, it's a good question. [51:16] The more Iran moves, the more Iran moves forces, the more they emplace forces, the more easily targetable they are for us right now. [51:24] Remember, we're able to look, we're able to see, we're able to sense. [51:28] We know where they are. [51:29] So if they try to preposition, they're just creating riper military targets for us to strike should they make the wrong decision at the table. [51:35] Right here. [51:36] Mr. Secretary, Luis Martinez with ABC News. [51:40] First, a question to General Cain, sir. [51:42] In your personal opinion, were the risks of the Strait of Hormuz being closed because of the conflict, were they mitigated early enough in part of the decision-making process to lead up to the decision to take action against Iran? [51:57] And in your opinion, is Iran in control of the Strait of Hormuz? [52:00] We just heard the Secretary say that Iran is letting them ships through, which would imply that potentially it's not just – the Secretary also said that the U.S. – that the Strait is open. [52:14] You did say that, sir. [52:15] But in your opinion, sir, how can the U.S. ensure safe passage? [52:21] Mr. Secretary, can you say today that the United States achieved – the administration achieved the military goals that you've constantly delineated? [52:32] But strategically, is that a victory because of that? [52:37] And also, you said earlier that the President chose mercy. [52:42] But you yourself had said three weeks ago that we will give no quarter to Iranian troops. [52:49] How do you correlate those two? [52:52] And do you think that your comments may have put American troops at risk? [52:56] No. [52:57] I try to be nice up here, but you did listen to what I said, right? [53:02] I laid out the objectives. [53:03] We believe we've accomplished them, and it's a historic military victory. [53:07] And President Trump has the option as the Commander-in-Chief to compel an adversary to the table, which is precisely what he did. [53:14] And at the end, he chose to say, you know what, I'd rather talk to you at the table than obliterate your capability to export oil and fund your terror regime. [53:22] So he did make that choice. [53:23] That was his choice. [53:24] He was a President of Peace, and he's been willing to make those really tough calls that the American people elected him to do. [53:31] Nothing we've done – not a single thing we've done. [53:34] This is a typical – of course, it's ABC – not a single thing we've done has put an American troop in more of a harm's way. [53:41] We've only set our troops up to harm Iranian military capabilities, which they've done to devastating fashion and to great success. [53:49] Mr. Chairman, you had a part of that question. [53:51] There's a lot in that question. [53:53] I'd love to take that offline and answer it, but it was – I'm struggling to find exactly what your question was, and that's probably me, not you. [54:02] Okay. [54:03] All right. [54:04] Sorry about that. [54:05] Mr. Chairman, sorry. [54:06] It was an indictment framed as a question, so you're forgiven for understanding. [54:09] Go ahead, please. [54:10] Can I reframe it again, sir? [54:11] No, you've had your chance. [54:12] Go ahead, sir. [54:13] Thank you very much. [54:14] I believe so, based on the diplomatic negotiations. [54:16] Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. [54:17] I believe so. [54:18] I believe so. [54:19] It is always nice to see you. [54:20] Sorry. [54:21] Mr. Kurd or Rahim Rashidi from Kurdistan. [54:23] I am Representative Kurdistan TV and Kurdistan 20 for today. [54:28] I have two questions. [54:31] Mr. Secretary, will your forces stay in the region and continue to defend and protect your allies [54:41] and take their responsibility for their security? [54:44] Second question is, as you mentioned, many times that you have full control of Iran airspace. [54:55] Do you still have this control or not? [54:59] Well, thank you for the question. [55:01] The Chairman mentioned the UAE and Bahrain and Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, who have fought shoulder to shoulder with us, [55:09] especially in defense of our facilities, of our people, of their facilities, and we appreciate that. [55:14] So that coordination, of course, will continue. [55:17] And then when it comes to the skies over Iran, I would just, again, I would point to Exhibit A and Exhibit B, [55:22] seven hours in the day, seven hours at night. [55:25] If any foreign adversary attempted to do the same over our soil, they would have no ability to do so. [55:31] Will they have a system here or there? Maybe. [55:35] Do they have a network, a system that's capable of defending their skies? No, they don't. [55:41] But as the Chairman laid out, that's been dismantled, degraded, and destroyed. [55:45] So it's a slight distinction but an important one. [55:49] Yes, right here. [55:50] Go ahead. [55:51] Excuse me. [55:53] You got a question? [55:54] Go ahead. [55:55] Yes. [55:56] Yes. [55:57] Two questions, actually, for you. [55:58] So during this time, is the President still – are you still encouraging civilians to rise up against the uranium regime, [56:05] or are they satisfied with this new regime change, or is this two-week period to kind of see where that leads? [56:12] Also, talk about the enriched uranium going in there. [56:15] Would that require special forces or other military, our service members? [56:21] Who would be basically going in there and trusted to going in there to get that uranium out? [56:27] Again, on the uranium, we're watching it. [56:31] We know what they have, and they will give it up, and we'll get it, and we'll take it. [56:35] If we have to, we can do it in any means necessary. [56:38] So that's something the President is going to solve for. [56:41] We already have a midnight hammer with the place we put them in and the reason it's in the situation where it is. [56:48] The second one was about the people. [56:50] Listen, I would love to see the Iranian people take advantage of this opportunity. [56:54] They have been oppressed by the previous regime, and they'll have a new opportunity with this regime that remains to be seen. [57:02] That was not our objective in this effort, but they're brave people. [57:06] Horrible things have been done to them by the previous regime. [57:09] Tens of thousands targeted and killed and assassinated in a way the government never should, and we wish them the best, absolutely. [57:15] Thank you all very much. [57:16] Appreciate it. [57:17] Thank you. [57:18] See you all here? [57:19] Bye. [57:21] Bye. [57:23] Bye. [57:24] Bye. [57:34] Bye. [57:35] Bye. [57:36] Bye. [57:37] Bye. [57:39] Bye.