The U.S. military is executing its “most intense day of strikes inside Iran” as part of Operation Epic Fury, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared during a Tuesday morning press briefing. The operation, launched 10 days ago, involves “the most fighters, the most bombers, [and] the most strikes” since its inception.
Hegseth stated that U.S. forces are “crushing the enemy in an overwhelming display of technical skill and military force,” vowing to continue until Iran is “totally and decisively defeated.” He characterized Iranian leadership as “barbaric savages” responsible for decades of attacks on American service members, noting that Tehran has targeted thousands of U.S. personnel through terrorist proxies. Hegseth emphasized President Trump’s commitment to preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons: “President Trump will never allow it—not now, not ever, not on our watch.”
The Secretary of War reported significant Iranian capability reductions, including an 83 percent drop in drone strikes and a 90 percent decline in ballistic missile attacks over the past month. In the last 24 hours alone, Iran fired its lowest number of missiles since the operation began. Hegseth confirmed U.S. forces are systematically dismantling Iran’s missile stockpiles, launchers, and defense industrial base, stating that Tehran is now “on its last legs.”
He added that Iran’s regional proxies—Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas—are “either broken, ineffective, or on the sidelines,” leaving the regime increasingly isolated. Hegseth described Iranian leadership as “desperate and scrambling like the terrorist cowards they are,” with U.S. forces maintaining “total air dominance” to ensure “no hesitation, no half measures.” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine further confirmed that U.S. forces will now “go deeper into Iran’s military and industrial base” as part of the campaign.