US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that Tuesday, March 10, would be the most intense day of strikes against Iran in the war so far. He said that the US will bring the most fighter jets and bombers against Iran, as the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran rages.
Hegseth said that the main aim of Operation Epic Fury remains to destroy Iran’s missile stockpiles, navy and defence industrial base.
“Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran — the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes,” Hegseth said while sharing updates about the ongoing war.
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The conflict that began with a joint attack by US, Israel on Iran, spread to other countries in the Middle East as Tehran targeted US military bases.
Talking about the timeline of the ongoing war, Hegseth said, “It’s not for me to posit whether it’s the beginning, the middle or the end,” the defense secretary said.
Iran ‘badly loosing’
While talking to reporters, Hegseth said that Iran has fired the lowest number of missiles in the last 24 hours than it has previously during the ongoing war. “Iran stands alone and is badly losing,” he added.
Hegseth also said that as former veteran, the fight against the Iranian regime “hits home”.
“Our generation understands this fight,” he said.
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The defence secretary also accused Iran of “deliberately targeting innocent” citizens and “moving rocket launchers into civilian neighborhoods, near schools, near hospitals to try to prevent our ability to strike.”
Hegseth warns Iran against stopping oil flow
He also warned Iran that if the country does anything to stop the flow of oil in the Strait of Hormuz, “they will be hit harder than ever.”
Hegseth was speaking to the reporters from the Pentagon. His comments come at a time when Iran and Israel continue to target each other with missile attacks. Israel’s military on Tuesday said it has launched new airstrikes targeting Iran’s capital, Tehran.
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Qatar’s Defence Ministry reported that it had intercepted an incoming missile, and blasts were heard across Doha.
Earlier in an X post, Iranian security official Ali Larijani replied to US President Donald Trump’s threat, saying, “The sacrificial nation of Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats.” This was in response to Trump’s threat that the US would attack Iran “Twenty times harder” if Tehran stopped oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.