The United States (US) said on Monday that it would continue its operations against Iran, asserting that it will never allow the Islamic Republic to have nuclear weapons. Further warning Iran, the US said it would hit the Islamic Republic "surgically, overwhelmingly, and unapologetically", making it weaker with each passing day.
Addressing a press conference, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Washington hopes that Iranians would take "advantage" of the current situation and overthrow Khamenei's regime. He further reiterated that Iran, for the past 47 years, has waged a one-sided war against the US by bombing its embassies and funding terror organisations against it.
However, the US will now finish this war under President Donald Trump, Hegseth asserted. The US Secretary of War said American forces will hunt those "without apology and without hesitation", and would kill those who are trying to kill its people.
"President Trump has also been very consistent. Crazy regimes like Iran, hell-bent on prophetic Islamist delusions, cannot have nuclear weapons," he said. "Many have said it, but it takes guts to actually enforce it, and our president has guts. Iran's stubborn and self-evident nuclear pursuits, their targeting of global shipping lanes, and their swelling arsenal of ballistic missiles and killer drones were no longer, are no longer tolerable risks."
"Iran was building powerful missiles and drones to create a conventional shield for their nuclear blackmail ambitions... Iran had a conventional gun to our head as they tried to lie their way to a nuclear bomb. It almost worked under President Obama and his terrible deal, but not under this president," Hegseth added.
In a desperate attempt, Iran has now unmasked its missiles and drones, and is attacking hotels, airports, apartments, and other civilian targets in the region, he said. The Iranian regime has only built missiles, drones, and proxies, Hegseth said, adding that Operation Epic Fury is "laser-focused", aiming to destroy Iranian offensive missiles and their missile production capability.
"Last June, Operation Midnight Hammer obliterated their nuclear program to rubble. Afterwards, we told them plainly, that's it, now make a deal. They arrogantly refused. We said, rebuild it and we'll stop you again, this time far worse. President Trump, Secretary Rubio... they bent over backwards for real diplomacy, offering pathway after pathway to peace," he said.
"They tried over and over and over again, earnest attempts at peace. The former regime had every chance to make a peaceful and sensible deal. But Tehran was not negotiating. They were stalling. Buying time to reload their missile stockpiles and restart their nuclear ambitions. Their goal, hold us hostage, threatening to strike our forces," he added.
