US not expanding military objectives in Iran, Hegseth says

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TAMPA, Florida – US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on March 5 that the US was not expanding its military objectives in Iran, after President Donald Trump told Reuters that the US must be involved in choosing the next leader of Iran.

The Pentagon earlier this week said the military campaign, known as Operation Epic Fury, is focused on destroying Iran’s offensive missiles, missile production and Navy, while not allowing Tehran to have a nuclear weapon.

“There’s no expansion in our objectives. We know exactly what we’re trying to achieve,” Mr Hegseth said.

He added that Mr Trump was “having a heck of a say in who runs Iran given the ongoing operation”.

In a telephone interview with Reuters on March 5, Mr Trump said the US would have to help pick the next person to lead the country.

The US and Israeli military campaign that started on Feb 28 has hit targets across the country and triggered Iranian retaliatory strikes in the region as Tehran seeks to impose a high cost on the US, Israel and their allies.

Iran has attacked countries including Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Fire crews in Bahrain extinguished a blaze at a refinery following a missile strike.

Azerbaijan became the latest country drawn in, as it accused Iran of firing drones at its territory and ordered its southern airspace closed for 12 hours.

Mr Hegseth said by striking countries in the region, Iran would only bring them closer to the US.

“It’s actually firming up the unity of the resistance in order to focus exactly where we need to,” Mr Hegseth said.

The US has hit more than 2,000 targets in Iran, including Iranian warships.

Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, said US forces had destroyed 30 Iranian warships, including an Iranian drone carrier ship earlier on March 5.

Adm Cooper said the US was hitting Iran’s ability to rebuild.

“As we transition to the next phase of this operation, we will systematically dismantle Iran’s missile production capability for the future, and that’s absolutely in progress,” Adm Cooper said, adding that it would take some time.

The US military has identified the six US Army Reserve soldiers killed when a drone slammed into a US military facility in Port ​Shuaiba, Kuwait.

Mr Trump and other senior officials have warned the Iran conflict will result in more US military deaths.

Mr Hegseth, during the press conference, said Iran was making a mistake if it believed that the US could not sustain the ongoing war, adding that Washington had just begun to fight.

“Iran is hoping that we cannot sustain this, which is a really bad miscalculation,” Mr Hegseth said. “We set the timeline.” REUTERS