‘Today will be most intense attack on Iran, US winning decisively,’ says Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said that today will be the “most intense” of attacks on Iran and that America is “winning decisively with brutal efficiency” as the war in West Asia intensifies with US military launching Operation Epic Fury against Tehran. In Pentagon’s press briefing on the US military’s operation, Hegseth said, “We stay locked on the target” and that Washington is “winning decisively with brutal efficiency, total air dominance and an unbreakable will to accomplish the president’s objectives.” Reiterating Trump’s previous remarks, Hegseth said they are “crushing the enemy” in an unrelenting way. “Today will be yet again, our most intense day of strikes inside Iran. The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes. Intelligence more refined, and better than ever,” he added. ## 1. ‘Iran war not endless or protracted’ > .@SECWAR “On day 10 of Operation Epic Fury: We are WINNING, with an overwhelming and unrelenting focus on our objectives…They are straightforward, and we are executing them with ruthless precision:1) DESTROY their missile stockpiles, their missile launchers, and their… pic.twitter.com/p5dAP1N151— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) March 10, 2026 .@SECWAR “On day 10 of Operation Epic Fury: We are WINNING, with an overwhelming and unrelenting focus on our objectives…They are straightforward, and we are executing them with ruthless precision:1) DESTROY their missile stockpiles, their missile launchers, and their… pic.twitter.com/p5dAP1N151 Talking about the duration of war, Hegseth said that US will end war with Iran “on our timeline” and it is not an “endless or protracted” war. He added that Washington will not relent in its war with Iran until “the enemy is totally and decisively defeated.” ## 2. Hegseth’s warning to Iran’s new supreme leader US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned the newly picked supreme leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei that he should “heed the words” of President Donald Trump and “not pursue nuclear weapons.” “The new leader of Iran, he would be wise to heed the words of our president, which is to not pursue nuclear weapons and come out and state as such,” Hegseth added. Hegseth was asked about reports which suggested that Mojtaba might have been injured in strikes on Iran, the defence secretary said that he could not comment on it, CNN reported. ## 3. Hegseth warns Russia to not get involved in iran war During the Pentagon press briefing, Hegsteh also warned Russia to not get involved in the US-Israel’s attack on Iran, after reports earlier suggested that Moscow was aiding Iran’s war efforts by providing intelligence on US military targets. Hegseth’s comments came after he was asked by reporters about President Trump’s call with Russia’s Vladimir Putin earlier today. The defence secretary described the conversation as a “strong call,” which he hoped reassured “the opportunity for some peace” in Russia’s war with Ukraine.