US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that Iran is making a serious miscalculation if it believes the United States cannot sustain the ongoing war, stressing that Washington has the resources and determination to continue military operations for as long as required.
Speaking during a press conference, Hegseth said Iran was wrongly assuming that the United States would be unable to maintain its military campaign.
“Iran is hoping that we cannot sustain this, which is a really bad miscalculation,” he said, adding that the US would set the timeline of the conflict.
The remarks come as the US and Israel continue their joint military campaign against Iran, which has already targeted thousands of military and strategic sites across the country.
According to US Central Command, American forces have struck more than 2,000 targets in Iran, including military installations and naval assets.
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said American forces had destroyed around 30 Iranian warships, including a drone carrier vessel earlier in the day. He added that the operation aims to weaken Iran’s ability to rebuild its military capabilities.
Cooper said the campaign is now entering the next phase, which will focus on dismantling Iran’s missile production capacity.
“We will systematically dismantle Iran’s missile production capability,” he said, adding that the process would take time.
Meanwhile, the US military confirmed the identities of six US Army Reserve soldiers killed when a drone struck a US military facility in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait earlier in the conflict.
US officials, including President Donald Trump, have warned that the conflict with Iran could lead to additional American casualties as operations continue.