Pete Hegseth says Iran military mission is "laser-focused" and it will not be "endless"
By: Caroline Linton (CBSPolitics)
Can ICE Barbie ramp up deportation of Iranians now?
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
March 2, 2026 -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said early Monday the U.S. military operation in Iran is "laser-focused" as the U.S. and Israeli military operation against Iran continued into a third day.
"Destroy Iranian missiles, destroy Iranian missile production, destroy their navy and other security infrastructure and they will never have nuclear weapons," said Hesgeth, who was joined by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine.
Hegseth declined to give a timeframe for the operation, but he insisted it would not be "endless."
"This is not Iraq," Hegseth said. "This is not endless. I was there for both — our generation knows better, and so does this president. He called the last 20 years of nation-building wars dumb and he's right. This is the opposite. This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission: Destroy the missile threat, destroy the navy, no nukes."
Hegseth said there are no U.S. military "boots on the ground" in Iran right now, but said he would not "go into the exercise of what we will or will not do" in the future.
The Pentagon said Monday that a fourth American service member had been killed in the mission, following the announcement of the deaths of three U.S. service members in Kuwait over the weekend. Hegseth said that the four service members had been killed after a tactical commander center had been hit.
Caine added that "we expected to take additional losses" as part of the mission.
On Monday, Kuwait shot down three U.S. F-15s in what CENTCOM called a "friendly fire incident," but all crewmembers were safe. Smoke rose, meanwhile, from the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait after an apparent Iranian missile strike.
Caine said it will "take some time for us to conduct a battle damage assessment, and the targeting that CENTCOM will run will take those things into effect."
At least 11 people have been killed in Israel. The Iranian Red Crescent says 555 people have been killed in Iran.
President Trump said Sunday that the joint military operation would continue "until all of our objectives are achieved," and that could be "four weeks or less," but that more American casualties are possible.
The U.S. and Israel launched a massive military operation against Iran over the weekend, which included striking Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's compound in Tehran and killing him.
Caine said Monday that Mr. Trump gave the order Friday afternoon that "Operation Epic Fury is approved. No aborts. Good luck."
After that call was made, Caine said air defense batteries readied themselves, pilots and crews rehearsed strike packages for the final time, and air crews began loading their final weapons, while two-character strike groups began moving toward their final launch points across the globe. These movements occurred as the Defense Department's operation centers "came alive" at the Pentagon and in Tampa, Florida.
At 9:45 a.m. local time, or 1:15 a.m. ET, Caine said more than 100 aircraft were launched from land and sea as "electronic attack bombers from the state and unmanned platforms forming a single synchronized wave."
"This was a daylight strike based on their trigger event conducted by the threat, the defense forces, enabled by the U.S intelligence community," Caine said.
Caine said the first shooters at sea were Tomahawks unleashed by the U.S. Navy, which "closed in on Iranian naval forces to conduct strikes across the southern flank in Iran on the ground."
Hegseth on Monday accused Iran of having started the war, saying Iran's "stubborn and self-evident nuclear pursuit" as well as "targeting global shipping lines."
"Iran had a conventional gun to our head as they tried to lie their way to a nuclear bomb," Hegseth said.
Caroline Linton Associate Managing Editor, Politics Caroline Linton is an associate managing editor on the political team for CBSNews.com. She has previously written for The Daily Beast, Newsweek and amNewYork. Read Full BioCaroline Linton
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Pete Hegseth has absolutely no control over the consequences of Operation Epic Fury. And those emerging consequences will determine how hard this pooch has been screwed. Pete Hegseth needs to choose his words carefully because now Hegseth has become politically expendable.
Pakistani protesters have already attacked a US embassy. So, the pooch has put on lipstick and donned a party dress. Will Trump trade a quagmire for another BENGHAZI?
How many Americans were killed when terrorists TRIED to breach the consulate in Pakistan?
How many Americans were killed when terrorists DID breach the consulate in Benghazi?
As long as there's no end there can't be a bad end right?
It will be bad from beginning to end
Lying liar.
Good source.
Ok. Cool. That’s not even a bad goal.
Some reason we couldn’t get Congress in on that? Some reason we couldn’t coordinate with Arab countries that are now being hit with Iranian missiles? Did anybody give our NATO allies a heads up that we wanted to do this? Was there any discussion or sense of responsibility for what happens to Iran after we’re done dropping bombs?
There is a 48 hour notification requirement. That requirement was met.
A lot of the Arab countries are as trustful as Democrats.
I don't think there is a requirement. It's not like any of them would stand in the way.
The Iranian people take their country back.
Rubio stated that there was no way they can notify all 535 in Congress, They notified the gang of eight twice. Once 48 hours prior and after the attacks began.
Plus, can you imagine how quickly Omar and Tlaib would notify their heroes of the impending bombings? There would have been no way dozens of them would have been gathered at once.
Which is why it was even more important not to nofity the dimbulbs until after it started. Now to watch them thrash around crying is pure comedy.
Come to think of it, does the twits (Omar and Tlaib) even have the clearance to know what's going on?
They probably do because Congress gives out clearances like candy. No telling what they have told their allies in Iran what is/will go on.
Also would not surprise me if they are advising the Iranian sleeper cells Biden let into the country when and where they should attack.
Trump should pull a Biden and have his FBI monitor their phone calls. At least there would be a reason to do so.
Did they borrow Hegseth's phone?
Hahahaha you made a funny...oh, wait...no you didn't.
Those two don't need to rely on anyone else. They would happily give up our secrets if it supported the jihad.
Omar and Tlaib have served since 2019, do you have a list of those 'secrets'?
Well, being that I have not held my secret clearance since I retired from the Navy in 2005, I m not privy to that info.
However, those two are.
Your post made zero sense.
Notice you don't say they were successful.
Neither of them have done anything meaningful or positive for THIS country.