Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared that Washington “didn’t start this war” but is determined to finish it, outlining an aggressive military posture against Iran while warning of further bloodshed ahead. This contradicts his earlier announcement that the U.S. did start the war with orders from President Trump.
Speaking at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, Hegseth said the United States was responding to what he described as Iran’s efforts to build a missile and drone network designed to shield its nuclear ambitions.
“We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it,” Hegseth told reporters, adding that “war is hell and it always will be.”
His remarks came as U.S. officials confirmed a fourth American service member had been killed following Iranian strikes on a base in Kuwait, underscoring the mounting human cost of the conflict.
Hegseth accused Tehran of constructing what he called a conventional “shield” for “nuclear blackmail ambitions,” and vowed a decisive response. “If you kill Americans, if you threaten Americans anywhere on Earth, we will hunt you down without apology and without hesitation,” he warned.
Despite the forceful rhetoric, the Pentagon chief stressed that the current U.S. campaign does not seek regime change in Iran. He outlined the mission’s core objectives as eliminating Iran’s missile threat, neutralizing its naval capabilities, and preventing it from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission,” Hegseth said. “No nukes.”
He also sought to distinguish the current operation from prolonged U.S. conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, rejecting what he called past “nation-building quagmires.”
“No stupid rules of engagement, no nation building exercise. We fight to win and we don’t waste time or lives,” he said. “This is not Iraq. This is not endless.”
When pressed on whether U.S. ground troops were already deployed, Hegseth declined to provide specifics. “No, but we’re not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do,” he said, adding that Washington would go “as far as we need to go.”
He also declined to comment on the recent downing of three U.S. fighter jets over Kuwait, which American officials have described as a friendly-fire incident in which all pilots survived.
Hegseth suggested the duration of the conflict remains uncertain. “Four weeks, two weeks, six weeks it could move up, it could move back,” he said.
Following his remarks, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Daniel Caine disclosed new details about the scale of U.S. operations against Iran.
Caine said that on February 27, U.S. Central Command received the final authorization from President Donald Trump for what he identified as “Operation Epic Fury.” According to Caine, Trump directed that the operation proceed without abort options.
The general described a sweeping, multi-domain assault that included long-range bomber missions and coordinated strikes across Iran.
B-2 stealth bombers flew nonstop 37-hour missions from the continental United States to strike underground nuclear facilities, Caine said. In total, roughly 100 aircraft including fighters, tankers, and bombers participated in what he called a single synchronized wave of attacks.
He added that U.S. forces struck approximately 1,000 targets within the first 24 hours, while cyber and space capabilities were deployed to disrupt Iranian defenses and communications.
Separately, Trump warned Americans to brace for continued fighting, suggesting the campaign could last around four weeks. “It’s always been a four-week process,” he said in an interview, while acknowledging the timeline could shift.
The latest statements highlight Washington’s increasingly forceful posture as the confrontation with Iran deepens, raising concerns about the risk of a prolonged regional conflict.
