1 month ago
After 40 days and 40 nights of war, Pete Hegseth, nan US defense secretary, connected Wednesday pointed to divine providence while telling reporters that Iran’s weapons factories had been reduced to rubble, its subject rendered ineffective for years and its ultimate leader near wounded and disfigured, each for a impermanent ceasefire.
“Iran begged for this ceasefire, and we each cognize it,” Hegseth said astatine nan Pentagon’s first property briefing since Donald Trump announced a two-week region successful hostilities Tuesday night. “Operation Epic Fury decimated Iran’s subject and rendered it combat ineffective for years to come.”
Standing alongside nan chair of nan associated chiefs, Dan Caine, Hegseth said strikes carried retired successful nan last activity earlier Trump’s self-imposed deadline had “completely destroyed Iran’s defense business base”. Iran could still occurrence what it had stockpiled – he acknowledged “they tin still shoot” – but it could nary longer manufacture nan weapons to switch them.
Trump posted connected Truth Social Tuesday nighttime that he agreed to suspend subject operations – little than 2 hours earlier his own apocalyptic deadline to decimate nan entirety of Iranian civilization – aft a last-minute involution by Pakistan’s premier minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and service main Gen Asim Munir.
Iran’s overseas curate Abbas Araghchi confirmed acceptance soon after. Iran’s ultimate nationalist information assembly said it would nonstop a delegation to Islamabad for general talks opening Friday.
Iran, for its part, besides declared victory. Its information assembly announced that “nearly each nan objectives of nan warfare person been achieved”.
The ceasefire temporarily ends 40 days of warfare that began connected 28 February erstwhile nan US and Israel launched astir 900 strikes successful 12 hours against Iranian subject infrastructure, rocket accommodation and leadership. Ali Khamenei, Iran’s ultimate leader, was killed connected nan first day, and his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was designated his successor connected 8 March.
What kept Iran astatine nan table, Hegseth insisted, was nan threat of what came next. Had Tehran not accepted, nan US had prepared strikes connected powerfulness plants, bridges and power infrastructure – “targets they could not defend, and could not realistically rebuild. It would person taken them decades.”
Caine confirmed 13 US work members were killed during nan war. Total deaths crossed nan region guidelines astatine much than 5,000, including complete 1,600 Iranian civilians and astatine slightest 1,497 group successful Lebanon. The US subject had spent roughly $12.7bn by time six, pinch a $200bn supplemental request pending earlier Congress.
The position of immoderate lasting woody stay openly contradictory. Trump posted Wednesday greeting that Iran would manus complete its enriched uranium and location would beryllium “no enrichment” going forward. Iran’s 10-point counter-proposal, published by its ain ultimate nationalist information council, explicitly demands nan correct to enrich.
The ceasefire itself is besides successful dispute. Israel said it does not screen Lebanon, wherever crushed and airstrike campaigns are astatine nan largest they’ve been since Israel’s penetration north. Pakistan and Iran person some said a ceasefire would see Lebanon.
Iran’s ultimate nationalist information assembly warned that “our hands are connected nan trigger, and nan infinitesimal nan force makes nan slightest mistake, it will beryllium met pinch afloat force”.
Hegseth besides had a akin prime of words. Asked really agelong US forces would stay successful nan region, he said: “We’re not going anywhere.”
