US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed Iran accepted ceasefire under pressure, saying US operation ‘decimated’ its military and warns of strikes on key infrastructure.
President Donald Trump is greeted by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth before speaking to a gathering of top US military commanders at Marine Corps Base Quantico. (AP Photo)
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, during a Pentagon press briefing on Wednesday said, that Iran “begged” for this ceasefire and that American military’s Operation Epic Fury “decimated” Tehran’s military. Hegseth said that Iran accepted the ceasefire under “overwhelming pressure.”
The defence secretary said that if Tehran had not accepted US-backed ceasefire, “the next targets would have been their power plants, their bridges, and oil and energy infrastructure.” Hegseth suggested that it would have taken decades for Iran to rebuild but the regime leader recognised that a agreeing to a deal was better.
.@SecWar: “Iran begged for this ceasefire — and we all know it… Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield.” pic.twitter.com/huttMUpSV9
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 8, 2026
“President Trump had the power to cripple Iran’s entire economy in minutes, but he chose mercy,” Hegseth said in the press briefing on Wednesday.
Informing about Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Hegseth said he has been “wounded and disfigured.” He added that Tehran’s factories have been “razed to ground” and that the Pentagon has “done its job for now.”
The defence secretary said that after the ceasefire deal was agreed by Iran, “there’s now a chance for peace” but American troops involved in the conflict remain ready. “This new regime was out of options and out of time, so they cut a deal. They know that this agreement means they will never, ever possess a nuclear weapon,” Hegseth added.
Providing update on American military’s Operation Epic Fury, US Joint chiefs of staff Dan Caine said that President Trump’s military objectives have been achieved and that he welcomed the two-week ceasefire.
Caine said that US military struck more than 13,000 targets since the war began on February 28. As per Caine’s assessment, around 90% of Iran’s navy fleet and 95% of its naval mines have been destroyed. “It will take years for Iran to rebuild any major surface combatants,” the joint chiefs of staff added.
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