Live updates: Follow the latest news on the Iran war
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday claimed Iran had been desperate to secure a ceasefire with Washington and declared that the US had won a historic victory in the war.
Mr Hegseth made his remarks hours after US President Donald Trump announced a two-week extension of his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, or have its bridges and power plants destroyed. Talks aimed at securing a permanent ceasefire are expected to take place in Islamabad, starting on Friday.
“Iran begged for this ceasefire, and we all know it,” Mr Hegseth said. “Iran wants it to happen. They’ve had enough. Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield – a 'capital V' military victory by any measure.”
The US has provided shifting objectives and justifications for the Iran war since it started on February 28 but Mr Hegseth said it had achieved its goals, including destroying Iran's navy and its ability to project power outside its borders.
Iran and the US have each claimed victory in the war, with Tehran publishing AI-generated videos and images showing Mr Trump waving a white flag or bowing down to Iranian leaders. Many observers saw Mr Trump's climb down as another “Taco” – Trump Always Chickens Out – and are sceptical the US has really achieved its goals.
Despite the tough talk, the war has taken its toll on both sides. Thirteen American troops were killed and hundreds injured, while the US rapidly burnt through its already limited stash of expensive interceptor missiles. Estimates put the war's cost to the US at about $2 billion per day.
Meanwhile, the upper echelons of Iran's regime were systematically assassinated and much of its military capacity was destroyed by US and Israeli air strikes. Thousands of Iranians have been killed, while Israel's war against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon has killed many hundreds more.
Gen Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the US had hit more than 13,000 sites, including more than 4,000 “dynamic” – or moveable – targets, during the war with Iran.
He said every factory that produced Shahed drones had been struck, along with sites producing guidance systems for the kamikaze UAVs that have menaced the region since the war broke out.
“Their missile defence industrial base is shattered, with more than 80 per cent of their missile facilities gone as well as their solid rocket motor production capability,” Gen Caine said.
He said it would take years for Iran to rebuild any major naval capabilities, with more than 20 naval production sites having been damaged or destroyed.
“Nearly 80 per cent of Iran’s nuclear industrial base was hit, further degrading their attempts to attain a nuclear weapon,” Gen Caine added.
Mr Hegseth said the terms of the proposed agreement with Iran mean it will never obtain a nuclear weapon.
“Under the terms, any nuclear material they should have will be removed. Any material they should not have will be removed. Right now, their dust is deeply buried and watched 24/7 overhead,” he said.
“President Trump has been clear from the beginning: there will be no Iranian nuclear weapons, period, full stop.”
Mr Hegseth said Iran had wanted a ceasefire because of Mr Trump’s threat to destroy its energy infrastructure and bridges. On Monday, Mr Trump had threatened to wipe out Iran's entire civilisation.
“Had Iran refused our terms, the next targets would have been their power plants, the bridges and oil and energy infrastructure, targets they could not defend and could not realistically rebuild,” Mr Hegseth added.
“It would have taken them decades, and we were locked and loaded. They couldn’t defend against it.”
Although a tentative truce is in place, Iranian missile and drone attacks continued across the region on Wednesday.
Mr Hegseth said Tehran would be “wise to find a way to get a carrier pigeon to their troops out in remote locations to let them know not to shoot any longer”.
Gen Cain said US forces “remain ready” to act if needed.
