Washington: US defence chief, Pete Hegseth, stated on Monday that Washington intends to keep its military campaign in the Middle East limited in both scope and duration. 'To the media outlets and political left screaming 'endless wars': Stop. This is not Iraq. This is not endless,' he announced in his first public comments since the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran commenced.
According to Ghana News Agency, Hegseth emphasized that the Trump administration had learned from past conflicts and was pursuing 'clear' objectives in Iran: 'Destroy the missile threat, destroy the navy, no nukes.' He dismissed suggestions that the operation was aimed at overthrowing Iran's leadership, stating, 'This is not a regime change war, but the regime sure did change.'
President Donald Trump suggested on Sunday that the conflict could last about four weeks. Hegseth, however, declined to confirm this timeline, indicating that the operation could conclude sooner or potentially extend beyond the estimate.
The joint military action by Israel and the United States began on Saturday, resulting in the death of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, by Israeli forces. In response, Tehran launched attacks on Israel and US military bases in the Gulf region.
Both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have called upon the Iranian populace to seize the opportunity presented by the military campaign to oust the hardline clerical leadership that ascended to power in Tehran in 1979.
Shortly before Hegseth's remarks in Washington, the US Central Command reported that four US military personnel had been killed in the ongoing operation.