Hegseth says US undertaking ‘most intense’ day of Iran strikes
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The news: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the US is conducting its most intense day of strikes inside Iran, adding that the US “will not relent” until Iran is “totally and decisively defeated.”
During a joint Pentagon press briefing on Tuesday with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Dan Caine, Hegseth said that the US’ three key objectives in the campaign against Iran are: to destroy their missiles and ability to make them, to destroy their navy, and to permanently deny Iran nuclear weapons forever.
Hegseth did not state that regime change in Iran is a goal of the US.
The numbers: General Caine said US forces have hit more than 5,000 targets in Iran and destroyed more than 50 Iranian naval ships since the war began 10 days ago. Caine added that ballistic missile attacks from Iran have decreased 90% and one-way attack drone strikes have decreased 83%. Caine also said that US bombers have dropped dozens of 2,000-pound GPS-guided penetrating weapons on Iranian missile launchers buried in deep bunkers across the country’s southern flank.
The context: The update comes after US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that the war could end soon, easing concerns about extended disruptions to global oil supply.
On Tuesday, chief of Saudi Aramco Amin Nasser said the company is aiming to restore 70% of normal crude oil exports within days, warning of “catastrophic consequence” for the global economy should the US-Iran war drag on. Speaking on an earnings call on Tuesday morning (Tuesday evening AEDT), Nasser that Aramco is working to boost exports at its Red Sea port of Yanbu, which will allow about 5 million barrels a day to reach the global market without traversing the Strait of Hormuz.
The sources: Pentagon Press Briefing, WSJ, Bloomberg, FT
