US-Israel war on Iran achieved ‘every single objective’: Hegseth

[0:00] US and Iran to meet for talks. [0:02] We've gone to the Pentagon now, where Pete Higseth, the US Secretary of Defense, is giving [0:09] an update. [0:10] Let's listen in. [0:10] Iran has been a threat to the United States and the free world for 47 years. [0:20] Chance of death to America, targeting our people, killing Americans, lying and blackmailing [0:27] their way toward a nuclear weapon, so they thought. [0:31] No longer. [0:32] Not on our watch. [0:35] Other presidents marked time and kicked the can down the road. [0:37] President Trump made history. [0:42] From the strike that took out Qasem Soleimani, to tearing up the disastrous Obama-Iran deal, [0:49] to the precision campaign that obliterated Iran's nuclear sites in Operation Midnight Hammer, [0:53] to the decisive military victory we just achieved in Operation Epic Fury. [0:59] No other president has shown the courage and resolve of this commander-in-chief. [1:05] President Trump forged this moment. [1:08] Iran begged for this ceasefire, and we all know it. [1:13] As a president of Truth this morning, a big day for world peace. [1:18] Iran wants it to happen. [1:20] They've had enough. [1:23] Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield. [1:30] A capital V military victory. [1:33] By any measure, Epic Fury decimated Iran's military and rendered it combat ineffective for years to come. [1:42] You see, in less than 40 days, one of our combatant commands, Central Command, CENTCOM, [1:50] using less than 10% of America's total combat power, dismantled one of the world's largest militaries. [1:57] The world's leading state sponsor of terrorism proved utterly incapable of defending itself, its people, or its territory. [2:07] We untied just a fraction of our strength, and Iran suffered a devastating military defeat. [2:15] Together with our Israeli partners, America's military achieved every single objective, on plan, on schedule, exactly as laid out from day one. [2:26] 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. [2:40] Iran's Air Force has been wiped out. [2:43] Iran no longer has an air defense, any sort of a comprehensive air defense system. [2:48] We own their skies. [2:51] Their missile program is functionally destroyed. [2:54] Launchers, production facilities, and existing stockpiles depleted and decimated. [2:59] And almost completely ineffective, Iran shot hundreds and hundreds of missiles and attack, one-way attack drones, at our aircraft carrier. [3:08] They were obsessed with it, and they never got even close. [3:13] Every single one of those shots easily shot down miles and miles away from the Abe Lincoln. [3:20] They were blowing ammo into fantasy land. [3:23] Contrast that with, most significantly, 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. [3:40] What little they have left, buried in bunkers, is all they will have. [3:46] They can still shoot, we know that. [3:48] Their command and control is so decimated, they can't really talk and coordinate. [3:51] So they still may shoot here and there, but that would be very, very unwise. [3:57] But they can no longer build missiles, build rockets, build launchers, or build UAVs. [4:03] Their factories have been razed to the ground, set back in historic fashion. [4:11] You see, had Iran refused our terms, the next targets would have been their power plants, their bridges, and oil and energy infrastructure. [4:20] Targets they could not defend and could not realistically rebuild. [4:25] It would have taken them decades, and we were locked and loaded. [4:30] They couldn't defend against it. [4:32] President Trump had the power to cripple Iran's entire economy in minutes, but he chose mercy. [4:42] He spared those targets because Iran accepted the ceasefire under overwhelming pressure. [4:47] The new Iranian regime understood that a deal was far better than the fate that awaited them. [4:54] This new regime just happened to look at what happened to their predecessors. [5:00] Their top leadership was systematically eliminated. [5:04] The previous Iranian Supreme Leader, dead. [5:09] The Supreme National Security Council Secretary, dead. [5:13] The Supreme Leader Office Advisor, dead. [5:17] The Supreme Leader Military Office Chief, dead. [5:21] The Defense Minister, no longer with us. [5:24] The IRGC Commander, dead. [5:28] The Armed Forces General Staff Commander, dead. [5:30] The Intelligence Minister, dead. [5:35] The IRGC Navy Commander, no longer here. [5:38] The IRGC Intel Chief, dead. [5:42] I skipped over a bunch, and I could go on and on and on to include the new so-called new Supreme Leader, wounded and disfigured. [5:53] This new regime was out of options and out of time, so they cut a deal. [5:57] They know this agreement means that they will never, ever possess a nuclear weapon. [6:04] Under the terms, any nuclear material they should have will be removed. [6:11] Any material, excuse me, they should not have will be removed. [6:14] Right now, their dust is deeply buried and watched 24-7 overhead. [6:19] The President has been clear from the beginning there will be no Iranian nuclear weapons. [6:25] Period. [6:25] Full stop. [6:27] Other presidents said it. [6:29] President Trump did it. [6:30] Operation Epic Fury. [6:34] Less than six weeks. [6:35] Clear mission. [6:36] Decisive action. [6:38] Overwhelming firepower. [6:40] America first. [6:41] A historic battlefield victory. [6:45] For decades, Iran killed Americans with roadside bombs in Iraq, using cowardly proxies to do their dirty work while they hid safely in Tehran. [6:55] They struck our embassies with car bombs and attacked from the shadows, never daring to face us toe-to-toe. [7:01] They thought they could bleed America with impunity. [7:04] Well, they just learned the hard way what happens when you try to fight us directly. [7:10] And even when they got lucky, one time in 40 days, and down two of our pilots, they couldn't hold them. [7:19] In a daring 14-hour rescue operation, seven hours in daylight and seven hours of night, both pilots were recovered safely. [7:29] Not once, but twice. [7:31] A daylight thunder run right up the middle of their country, boots on the ground. [7:41] A midnight raid right up the middle of their country, boots on the ground. [7:49] Zero American casualties. [7:52] The Iranians humiliated and demoralized. [7:55] We control their fate, not the other way around. [7:58] That's why they came to the table. [8:00] Iran's defeat is America's retribution for every American loss to Iranian terror. [8:08] Especially those brave troops killed by Iranian-made roadside bombs in Iraq that my generation knows so well. [8:15] And for the suffering their regime has inflicted around the world. [8:19] Now we have a chance at real peace and a real deal. [8:23] The War Department, for now, for now, has done its part. [8:28] We stand ready in the background to ensure Iran upholds every reasonable term. [8:33] And as everyone knows, nobody makes a better deal than President Trump. [8:41] To the warriors of epic fury, I say well done. [8:45] You're the backbone of our country. [8:46] Your skill, your bravery, and sheer guts and grit showed the world what America is all about. [8:52] I'm proud of you. [8:54] We're proud of you. [8:56] President is proud of you. [8:57] Job well done. [8:59] But stay vigilant and stay ready. [9:02] To the families of our fallen, your sacrifice was in service of a historic cause. [9:08] And we will always remember your heroes, our heroes. [9:12] We will continue to honor them. [9:15] And to our Israeli allies, thank you for being a brave, capable, and willing ally on this battlefield. [9:22] The rest of the world and the rest of our so-called allies saw what real capabilities look like. [9:28] They should take some notes. [9:29] Our troops, our American warriors, deserve the credit for this day. [9:36] But God deserves all the glory. [9:39] Tens of thousands of sorties, refuelings, and strikes carried out under the protection of divine providence. [9:46] A massive effort with miraculous protection. [9:51] Dude 44 Bravo spoke for all of us. [9:55] God is good. [9:57] The chairman will now provide an even deeper military detail on the historic success of Operation Epic Fury. [10:05] Mr. Chairman. [10:06] Thank you, Mr. Secretary. [10:07] And good morning, ladies and gentlemen. [10:09] Thanks for being here. [10:10] 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. [10:18] Their sacrifice and that of their families is deeply important to us. [10:23] And we are grateful for each of them and will continue to mourn their loss. [10:28] Their names and their bravery will never be forgotten. [10:33] On February 28th, the president of the United States ordered the joint force to execute Operation Epic Fury with the direct direction to accomplish three distinct military objectives. [10:44] Destroy Iran's ballistic missile and drone capabilities. [10:48] Destroy the Iranian Navy and destroy their defense industrial base to ensure that Iran cannot reconstitute the ability to project power outside their borders. [10:58] Over the course of 38 days of major combat operation, the joint force achieved the military objectives as defined by the president. [11:06] We welcome the ongoing ceasefire. [11:09] And as the secretary said, we hope that Iran chooses a lasting peace. [11:13] 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 with the same speed and precision as we've demonstrated over the last 38 days. [11:30] And we hope that that is not the case. [11:32] I want to congratulate and thank the leadership today at U.S. Central Command, including the commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, the deputy commander, Lieutenant General Kevin Leahy, the senior enlisted leader, Fleet Master Chief Compton, [11:46] and every one of the component commanders, senior enlisted leaders, and especially the staff down at U.S. Central Command, who does not get called out for any of the credit, [11:57] but grinds 24-7 to help offer the options that we bring to the secretary and the president. [12:03] 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. [12:13] And I want to thank our partners across the intelligence community. [12:17] Our ability to see and understand what an adversary is doing help us to be as decisive as we must be on the battlefield. [12:27] And that includes DIA, NSA, NGA, the CIA, and the National Reconnaissance Office, and others. [12:35] I want to thank the other combatants who have thus far contributed along the way to U.S. Central Command. [12:41] This includes Transcom, Stratcom, Spacecom, Socom, and Cybercom, all of whom poured all in in support of CENTCOM's efforts. [12:54] And I want to thank, as the secretary did, our Gulf partners who fought alongside each and every one of us every day. [13:00] 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. [13:12] And who, if required, stand ready to do so again. [13:15] 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. [13:30] They are the hardest working people that I know, and I am deeply grateful for their service. [13:35] 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, [13:45] and their families who've worked 24 hours a day for 38 days. [13:51] The secretary and I could not be more proud of each and every one of you. [13:55] And we deeply appreciate the support of the American people, who we know always have us in our thoughts and prayers, and we can feel this literally every single day. [14:08] As the secretary said, the United States has devastated the regime's ability to harm Americans and our interests for years to come. [14:16] Since the beginning of major combat operations, the United States Joint Force has struck more than 13,000 targets, [14:23] including in that 13,000, more than 4,000 dynamic targets that popped up on the battlefield and were immediately addressed, [14:31] thanks to the exceptional command and control system and intelligence, acumen, and agility of our joint force. [14:39] CENTCOM forces destroyed approximately 80% of Iran's air defense systems, striking more than 1,500 air defense targets, [14:46] more than 450 ballistic missile storage facilities, 800 one-way attack drones for storage facilities. [14:54] All of these systems are gone. [14:56] We've devastated Iran's command and control and logistical networks, destroying more than 2,000 command and control nodes [15:04] and degrading their ability to target U.S. and friendly forces. [15:08] It is, and we know this, incredibly frustrating right now to be a lower-level Iranian commander trying to fight your fight. [15:17] As the secretary said, the Iranian Navy now lies mostly at the bottom of the Arabian Gulf, [15:23] 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. [15:30] 150 ships are at the bottom of the ocean, and half of the IRGC Navy's small attack boats. [15:38] Joint fires projected from the land, sea, and air executed more than 700 strikes against naval mine targets, [15:46] and we assess that we destroyed more than 95% of their naval mines. [15:52] And perhaps most importantly, we've destroyed Iran's defense industrial base. [15:57] Their ability to reconstitute those capabilities for years to come. [16:03] We attacked, along with our partners, approximately 90% of their weapons factories. [16:08] Every factory that produced Shahid one-way attack drones was struck. [16:13] Every factory that produces the guidance systems that go into those drones was struck. [16:19] Their missile defense industrial base is shattered with more than 80% of their missile facilities gone, [16:24] as well as their solid rocket motor production capability. [16:29] It will take years for Iran to rebuild any major surface combatants, [16:34] as more than 20 naval production and fabrication facilities have been damaged or destroyed. [16:40] And nearly 80% of Iran's nuclear industrial base was hit, further degrading their attempts to attain a nuclear weapon. [16:49] Throughout Operation Epic Fury, our Joint Force struck at the heart of Iran's ability to project power [16:57] and threaten the United States and the region. [17:00] And in order to do this, it required the service and sacrifice of more than 50,000 American warfighters [17:08] deployed across CENTCOM, EUCOM, and Stateside. [17:12] The Joint Force flew more than 10,000 missions, including 62 bomber missions, 18 of which flew round-trip [17:21] from the United States to deliver bombs on military targets. [17:27] Each of these missions was more than 30 hours in duration, and we did that 18 times. [17:34] No other military in the world can do that. [17:37] And it's a testament to the logistical force that quietly serves behind them. [17:42] I cannot thank TRANSCOM and the Air Force Tanker and Mobility Force more. [17:49] Combined with Army and Navy joint fires, we stuck more than 13,000 targets. [17:54] And along with our Gulf partners, we've thus far intercepted 1,700 ballistic missiles [18:00] and one-way attack drones, defending our forces and our partners in the civilian population. [18:05] And we remain ready to do so should the need arise. [18:11] Along the way, we consume more than 6 million meals, and by my estimate, more than 950,000 gallons of coffee, [18:21] 2 million energy drinks, and a lot of nicotine, but I am not saying that we have a problem. [18:27] I've laid out the statistics, but it does not truly capture the nature of combat. [18:34] This is gritty and unforgiving business. [18:38] It's chaotic, it's hot, it's dark, it's unpredictable, and there's always unknowns. [18:44] And our people proudly walked into those unknowns and continue forward. [18:49] And through it all, the joint force has demonstrated the unwavering resolve that the nation demands of us. [18:56] We are a mission-focused force, and our objectives always is to create the conditions for peace, [19:03] and today we have, while be ready should that peace break, which we hope it is not. [19:09] And we remain ready. [19:11] 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. [19:18] To give you an update, we've had, the Secretary and I have had the profound honour of speaking directly with many of the warfighters on that mission. [19:27] From the downed crew... [19:29] That is General Dan Cain, the U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman, speaking at the Pentagon. [19:35] He followed U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, who gave an update on the war against Iran in subsequent ceasefire, [19:42] claiming that Iran begged for the ceasefire. [19:45] He said it was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield for the United States. [19:50] They both reiterated that they have achieved every single objective. [19:54] The Navy is at the bottom of the sea. [19:56] The Air Force is wiped out.