Donald Trump's Defence Secretary issued the stark warning to Iran during a White House press briefing.
12:34, Tue, Mar 10, 2026 Updated: 13:01, Tue, Mar 10, 2026
Pet Hegseth made the comments about Iran during a White House press briefing (Image: SKY NEWS)
The US will today launch its most "intense day of strikes inside Iran" as the war in the Middle East shows no sign of relenting. The warning came from Donald Trump's US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth during a White House press briefing.
“Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran. The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes, intelligence will be more refined than ever,” Hegseth said in a press conference Tuesday. Hegseth adds that in the last 24 hours, Iran has fired the lowest number of missiles since the start of the war.
Pete Hegseth says today will be the 'most intense' of the US strikes on Iran (Image: Getty)
Hegseth declared “on Day 10 of Operation Epic Fury, we are winning with an overwhelming and unrelenting focus on our objectives,” claiming Iran is “badly losing.”
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When questioned about the US government's timeline for the Iran war and how far it has moved along the defence secretary said that Trump will be the one who determines when the war draws to a conclusion.
He said the US is "in a very strong place, giving the president of the United States maximum options". He adds: "From the beginning, from this podium, we haven't stated how long it will take.
"Our will is endless. Ultimately, the president gets to determine the end state of those objectives."
The defence secretary said Trump will decide when the war ends (Image: Getty)
Hegseth said last week that the war could span three to eight weeks. However, in todays press office he said it was not for him to assess whether “it’s the beginning, the middle or the end.”
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For the final question, Hegseth is asked about Trump’s suggestion that the military operation could conclude sooner than initially expected and whether the United States will have a role in what follows.
Hegseth responds that, in the end, the outcome will serve America’s interests. He adds that the country will not live “under a nuclear blackmail scenario” or remain under a constant cloud of threat.
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English (US) · 