At a Pentagon briefing, U.S. defense official Pete Hegseth said operations against Iran are intended to destroy Tehran's missile forces, navy and other security infrastructure rather than become an "endless war." He described the strikes as "surgical, overwhelming and unapologetic." The remarks were reported by Reuters and follow the Pentagon's stated aim of achieving limited, specific military objectives.
Pentagon: Strikes on Iran Will Be "Surgical" and Not an "Endless War," Official Says
A screengrab from a video released by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) shows a missile being fired from an unknown location, released February 28, 2026, in this still image obtained from social media. CENTCOM via X/Handout via REUTERS
WASHINGTON, March 2 — A U.S. defense official, Pete Hegseth, told reporters at the Pentagon on Monday that any military operations against Iran were not intended to become an "endless war." He said the objective of the campaign is to degrade and destroy Tehran's missile capabilities, its naval assets and other elements of its security infrastructure.
"We're striking them surgically, overwhelmingly and unapologetically," Hegseth said at a Pentagon press briefing.
Hegseth framed the strikes as precise and overwhelming, emphasizing a limited and defined set of military goals rather than open-ended engagement. The comments were given during a press conference at the Pentagon and were reported by Reuters journalists Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Doina Chiacu.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Doina Chiacu; editing by Susan Heavey)
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