'We have only just begun': Hegseth says as US informs it now controls Iran airspace, waterways

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that American and Israeli forces have taken control of Iran’s airspace and waterways as military operations against Tehran enter their fifth day, claiming the Iranian air force has effectively been neutralised.

Speaking at a Pentagon media briefing on the progress of Operation Epic Fury, Hegseth said the campaign was still in its early phase as it touches a fifth day of conflict in West Asia.

“Four days in, we have only just begun to fight,” he said, adding that US and allied operations had significantly degraded Iran’s military capabilities.


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According to the US defence chief, Iranian air defences and aviation assets have been severely damaged.

“The Iranian air force is no more,” he said, claiming that combined US and Israeli operations now control Iran’s airspace and key maritime approaches without deploying ground troops.

He also said that thousands of Iranian missiles and drones launched during the escalation had been intercepted or destroyed. “Thousands of Iranian missiles and drones have been intercepted and vaporised,” Hegseth informed during the briefing.

Hegseth further claimed that a commander of an Iranian unit allegedly involved in an earlier attempt to assassinate US President Donald Trump had been located and killed during the ongoing operations.

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“Iran tried to kill Trump, but Trump got the last laugh,” Hegseth said.

The defence secretary reiterated Washington’s long-standing position on Tehran’s nuclear programme. “Iran will never possess a nuclear bomb — not on our watch, not ever,” he said.

He also said US forces had repositioned most American personnel in the region before the latest escalation. “We moved the vast majority of American troops off the ‘X’, out of the range of Iranian fire,” Hegseth said, suggesting the move was aimed at reducing vulnerability to retaliatory attacks.