WASHINGTON – US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US is not expanding its military objectives in Iran, Reuters reported, after President Donald Trump said the US must be involved in choosing Iran’s next leader.
The Pentagon announced earlier this week that the military operation, known as Operation Epic Fury, will focus on destroying Iran’s offensive missiles, missile production and navy, but will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.
“There is no expansion in our goals. We know exactly what we are trying to achieve,” Hegseth said Thursday.
He added that President Trump “has a significant say in who runs Iran, given the ongoing operations.”
The U.S.-Israeli military operation that began Saturday hit targets across Iran and triggered Iranian retaliatory strikes in the region as Tehran seeks to impose a high price on the U.S., Israel and its allies.
President Trump said in a phone interview with Reuters on Thursday that the United States needs to help choose the nation’s next leader.
Iran has attacked countries such as Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. Bahrain’s fire brigade extinguished a fire at a refinery hit by a missile attack.
Azerbaijan became the latest country to become embroiled, accusing Iran of launching drones into its territory and ordering a 12-hour closure of its southern airspace.
Hegseth said that by attacking regional countries, Iran would only bring those countries closer to the United States.
“In fact, we are strengthening the unity of the resistance forces in order to focus where it is needed,” Hegseth said.
The US has attacked more than 2,000 targets inside Iran, including Iranian warships. Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command, said early Thursday that U.S. forces had destroyed 30 Iranian warships, including an Iranian unmanned carrier.
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Cooper said the United States is attacking Iran’s ability to rebuild.
“As we move into the next phase of this operation, we will systematically dismantle Iran’s missile manufacturing capabilities for the future, and that is certainly underway,” Cooper said, adding that it will take time.
The U.S. military has confirmed the identities of six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers who died when a drone crashed into a U.S. military facility in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait.
President Trump and other administration officials have warned that the Iran conflict will lead to more U.S. military deaths.
Hegseth told a news conference that Iran is mistaken if it believes the United States cannot sustain the ongoing war, adding that the United States is only just beginning the fight.
“Iran is hoping that we can’t sustain this, but this is a really terrible miscalculation,” Hegseth said. “We set a timeline.” — Agency
