Hegseth says US achieved decisive military victory over Iran

Washington: United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the US had secured what he described as a decisive military victory over Iran, while also claiming that Tehran’s missile programme had been rendered largely ineffective.

Hegseth spoke at a Pentagon media briefing alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine, a day after President Donald Trump stepped back from what had been described as the brink of a threatened full-scale assault on Iran on Tuesday night, two hours before a deadline he had set for Tehran to reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

At the briefing, Hegseth said Iran’s military capabilities had been severely degraded.

“Iran's air force has been wiped out. Iran no longer has an air defence, any sort of a comprehensive air defence system. We own their skies. Their missile programme is functionally destroyed. Launchers, production facilities and existing stockpiles depleted and decimated and almost completely ineffective.”, he stated.

He further said the United States had carried out 800 strikes on Tuesday night and that these attacks had destroyed Iran’s industrial base. Hegseth added “[Iran] can no longer build missiles, build rockets, build launchers, or build UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). Their factories have been razed to the ground”.

The defence secretary also said the US had used less than 10% of its combat power in the war against Iran.

General Caine told reporters that US military objectives inside Iran had been achieved. However, he said the ceasefire should be viewed as a pause and noted that American forces remained prepared to resume combat operations if required.

Ceasefire and uranium monitoring

Hegseth said the US military was remaining in the Middle East during the two-week ceasefire to make sure Iran complied with the arrangement and to keep watch over the country’s enriched uranium stockpile.

On that issue, he told reporters:

“On the uranium, we're watching it. ⁠We know what they have, and they will give it up, and we'll get ⁠it. ​We'll take it if ​we have to”.

The developments came after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan. Following that announcement, President Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday that his administration would work closely with Iran.

Hegseth’s remarks and Caine’s comments outlined the US position a day after the latest escalation and subsequent ceasefire announcement, with Washington maintaining that its military goals had been met while keeping forces in place during the pause in fighting.