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Defense

The U.S. Operation in Iran Is ‘Just Beginning,’ Trump Officials Say

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted the military attack is “not a regime-change war.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stands outside the Pentagon

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stands outside the Pentagon. Kevin Wolf/AP

By Violet Jira

March 2, 2026 08:56 AM

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth rejected concerns of another forever war during the Trump administration’s first media briefing since the beginning of its military operations in Iran.

Speaking at the Pentagon Monday morning, Hegseth described the operation, which he called the “most lethal, most complex and most precise aerial operation in history,” as a necessary response to Iran’s “nuclear blackmail ambitions.”

Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the news conference that “this work is just beginning and will continue.” In interviews with reporters, President Donald Trump has indicated that the operation could last anywhere from four to five weeks. Hegseth, when asked, declined to put a time frame on the operation.

Though U.S. and Israeli forces have killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and potentially some of his possible successors, Hegseth insisted the purpose of the operation is not “regime change.”

“This is not a regime-change war, but the regime sure did change,” Hegseth said, adding later, “This is not Iraq, this is not endless. Our generation knows better, and so does this president.”

When he announced the first strikes on Saturday, Trump called on Iranians to “take over your government.”

Hegseth described the Trump administration’s decision to engage with Iran as the inevitable culmination of years of hostilities in the face of risks that were “no longer tolerable.”

“We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump’s leadership, we’ll finish it,” he said.

Hegseth indicated that four U.S. troops have been killed and four more have been injured so far in the operation. Caine said more casualties are expected. He added that the mission was kept classified so that when it began, Iran would be met with “speed, surprise and violence of action.”

Hegseth said that there were not currently boots on the ground in Iran but that the administration would not put a limit on what it would or would not do in pursuit of its objectives.