The US defense secretary declined to rule out sending ground troops into Iran and said the military campaign launched over the weekend could last several weeks. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth described a flexible timeline and stressed the operation is not intended for nation-building. General Dan Caine said US strikes have established local air superiority, enabling continued operations. Officials emphasized the campaign is focused on clear military objectives to protect US interests and allies.
Pentagon Won't Rule Out Ground Troops in Iran; Campaign Could Last Weeks
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon on March 2, 2026 (Brendan SMIALOWSKI)(Brendan SMIALOWSKI/AFP/AFP)
The US defense secretary on Monday declined to categorically rule out deploying ground forces to Iran, saying the military campaign that began over the weekend could last several weeks. US forces, acting in coordination with Israeli military operations, have struck hundreds of targets across Iran, including missile sites, naval assets and command-and-control facilities.
Pentagon Response:
"No, but we're not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do," Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth told reporters when asked whether American troops were already operating inside Iran. "We'll go as far as we need to go."
Hegseth emphasized a flexible approach to the campaign timeline, offering a range rather than a fixed end date: "Four weeks, two weeks, six weeks, it could move up. It could move back." He also sought to distinguish the operation from past, long-running US conflicts, arguing it is not intended as a nation-building or democracy-exporting effort.
On Objectives and Conduct:
"No stupid rules of engagement, no nation building quagmire, no democracy-building exercise. No politically correct wars. We fight to win and we don't waste time or lives," Hegseth said, framing the operation as limited in scope and focused on defending US interests and allies rather than pursuing broad political change in Iran.
Operational Update:
Standing alongside Hegseth, General Dan Caine, the United States' top military officer, said recent strikes "resulted in the establishment of local air superiority." Caine added that this advantage "will not only enhance the protection of our forces, but also allow them to continue the work over Iran."
What to Watch
- Whether the US ultimately commits ground forces and, if so, on what scale.
- How the campaign's duration and objectives evolve in the coming weeks.
- Regional reactions and potential impacts on civilian infrastructure and humanitarian conditions.
The Pentagon framed the strikes as targeted military action with clearly scoped aims, while warning that timelines and tactics remain fluid as operations continue.
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