March 31, 2026
Pentagon: US has more options, Iran has ever fewer as war goes on
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine on Tuesday offered updates on the situation in Iran at a Pentagon news conference.
Caine stated US military operations in Iran are currently focutilized on tarobtaining Tehran’s “minelaying capability, their naval assets.” Caine, who stated attack helicopters were joining the effort, informed reporters that US forces have taken out “more than 150 ships.”
Additionally, Caine stated that US and Israeli forces are tarobtaining Iran’s defense industrial complex.
“This includes factories, warehoutilizes, nuclear weapons research and development labs, and the associated infrastructure required for Iran to reconstitute its combat capability,” stated the general.
For his part, Hegseth stated the US was keen to wrap up the war on its own terms.
“We have more and more options,” he stated, “and they have less… in only one month we set the terms, the upcoming days will be decisive,” he stated. “Iran knows that, and there’s almost nothing they can militarily do about it.”
The defense secretary again refutilized to rule out “boots on the ground,” but reiterated what President Trump has stated about alleged talks with Iran. “They are very real. They are ongoing, they are active, and I believe, gaining strength.”
“In the meantime, we’ll neobtainediate with bombs,” he added.
Asked about reports that both China and Russia are aiding Iran’s defense, Hegseth stated, “As far as Russia and China, we know exactly what they’re doing, what they are or are not doing.”
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