Secretary of War Pete Hegseth touted the scale and speed of U.S. and allied military operations against Iran during remarks on March 24, describing the campaign as unprecedented in its effectiveness and highlighting what he characterized as the rapid destruction of a modern military force through overwhelming airpower and coordinated strikes.
Hegseth pointed to the opening phase of the conflict as decisive, emphasizing that Iranian military capabilities were neutralized almost immediately. “Thank you, Mr. President. You’re spot on. Never in history has a modern military Iran had a modern military, a modern navy, a modern air force, modern air defenses, leadership, massive bunker. Never has a modern military been so rapidly and historically obliterated, defeated from day one with overwhelming firepower,” he said.
Hegseth: We have the president when he sends warfighters to fight, he unties their hands to actually go out and destroy the enemy as viciously as possible pic.twitter.com/IDtxC28Go2
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 24, 2026
He credited the scale and coordination of the air campaign, conducted alongside Israeli forces, as central to that outcome. “The air campaign that we’ve conducted, that Israel’s conducted alongside us, was one for the history books truly. And it’s because we have a president of the United States that when he sends his war fighters out to fight, he unties their hands to actually go out and close with and destroy the enemy as viciously as possible from moment one.”
The operation, known as Operation Epic Fury, began on February 28 and has involved thousands of combat missions targeting Iran’s military infrastructure. According to operational figures, more than 7,800 targets have been struck across the country, supported by over 8,000 combat flights and the deployment of a wide array of advanced air and naval assets. These strikes have focused on command centers, missile systems, air defenses, intelligence sites, and weapons production facilities, significantly degrading Iran’s ability to coordinate and sustain military operations.
Operation Epic Fury: March 18th Update pic.twitter.com/LPgEPadZYM
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 18, 2026
In addition to infrastructure, the campaign has systematically targeted Iran’s leadership structure. U.S. and allied strikes have killed the country’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, along with more than 40 senior officials spanning military command, intelligence leadership, and national security institutions. Among those confirmed killed are top figures such as Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Pakpour, Chief of the General Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, and multiple senior intelligence and defense officials, reflecting a broad effort to dismantle command and control at the highest levels.
Hegseth’s remarks framed these outcomes as evidence of unmatched military capability, particularly in the use of airpower and precision targeting. The scale of destruction, combined with the elimination of key leadership figures, was presented as a defining feature of the campaign, underscoring his assertion that no other military has executed a comparable operation with such speed and intensity against a modern state adversary.