▲ U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon near Washington on March 10, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon near Washington on March 10, 2026. (Yonhap)

Pentagon-Iran war

Hegseth says Iran war is 'quite contained,' but warns of 'most intense day of strikes' ahead

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran is "quite contained," rejecting the notion that it is expanding, while warning of the "most intense day of strikes" in Iran ahead.

Hegseth made the remarks during a press briefing alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, as the U.S. military operation, codenamed "Operation Epic Fury," entered its 11th day, seeking to destroy Iran's missile capabilities and its Navy, and sever its pathway to nuclear arms.

"I think it's worth underscoring. I see in the media banners that say war expanding or war spread. It's actually the opposite. It's actually quite contained," he said.

His remarks came a day after President Donald Trump said the ongoing war against Iran will end "very soon," though it will not be over this week.

The Pentagon chief pointed out that an intense military campaign against the Islamic Republic will proceed on Tuesday, as the U.S. military is pushing to ensure that Tehran will not have any nuclear weapons.

"Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran -- the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes," he said.

He highlighted that the U.S. will not relent "until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated."

"But we do so on our timeline and at our choosing," he said.

He expressed his confidence that America is winning in the war.

"Iran stands alone, and they are badly losing on Day 10 of Operation Epic Fury," he said. "We are winning with an overwhelming and unrelenting focus on our objectives."

Hegseth also reiterated that the operation against Iran will not be an "endless" one.

"This is not 2003. This is not endless nation building under those types of quagmires we saw under Bush or Obama. It's not even close," he said, referring to former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

"Our generation of soldier will not let that happen again, and nor will this president, who very clearly ran against those kinds of never ending, nebulously scoped missions. Those days are dead."

The top U.S. general reported "substantial progress" toward destroying Iran's Navy in the first 10 days of the conflict, noting that the U.S. military has sunk or destroyed more than 50 Iranian naval ships.

But he warned that the combat operation will continue to be "difficult."

"I ask every American to keep our deployed force and their families and our thoughts," he said. "Combat deployments can be tough on the force and the families, and it's important that we continue to remember that."

The U.S. military has reported seven combat fatalities, while the Iranian media reported more than 1,200 Iranian deaths.

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