Hegseth says Iran regime already changed after US strikes

2026-03-02 - 14:23

WASHINGTON — US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that the ongoing US military operation against Iran is not intended to topple the country’s leadership, even as he acknowledged the far-reaching consequences of the strikes.“This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change,” Hegseth told a news conference alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine.His remarks followed large-scale strikes launched by the United States and Israel on Feb. 28, which reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and several senior security officials.Hegseth said the mission of “Operation Epic Fury” is “laser-focused” on neutralizing Iran’s military capabilities.“Destroy Iranian offensive missiles, destroy Iranian missile production, destroy their navy and other security infrastructure, and they will never have nuclear weapons,” he said.He added that Iran had been developing “powerful” missiles and drones to create what he described as a “conventional shield for their nuclear blackmail ambitions.”Hegseth stressed that the operation would not become an “endless” war.