Washington: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made it clear that the ongoing military operations against Iran are not intended to be "endless," while also cautioning that achieving America's combat objectives will not happen "overnight." Hegseth described the situation as a "big battle space" during a press conference at the Pentagon alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the press conference came in the wake of a surprise coordinated attack launched by the United States and Israel on Iran, resulting in the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The U.S. military has reported four combat fatalities on its side, whereas the Iranian Red Crescent has indicated that 555 individuals have been killed in Iran.

Hegseth emphasized that the current operations are distinct from previous conflicts. "This is not Iraq. This is not endless. I was there for both. Our generation knows better and so does the president," he stated. Highlighting the mission's objectives, he said, "This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission: Destroy the missile threat, destroy the Navy. No nukes."

He further accused Iran of constructing a "conventional shield" to support its "nuclear blackmail ambitions," reiterating that the objectives of the operations will require time to accomplish. Stressing President Donald Trump's role, Hegseth noted that the president sets the operational tempo "on his terms."

Hegseth elaborated on the military strategy, stating, "We are aggressively pushing into that airspace over that southern flank to ensure that we control it, and we destroy everything that moves, that would attempt to shoot us. Think of it as shooting the archer instead of the arrows."

Gen. Caine also described the operation as a "major combat operation," explaining that the military objectives set by CENTCOM and the Joint Force will require time and might involve challenging and intense efforts. "We expect to take additional losses, and as always, we will work to minimize U.S. losses," he added.