Pete Hegseth: “We Didn’t Start It, But We Are Finishing It” in Iran

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Monday that U.S. strikes in Iran are meant to achieve specific military objectives, not drag into a prolonged war.

Hegseth raised tensions over widening conflict as the Pentagon seeks to define the mission behind the biggest U.S. military operation aimed at Tehran in decades.

Officials say the joint U.S.–Israeli campaign, called Operation Epic Fury, has struck hundreds of Iranian targets since the weekend, and at least four U.S. service members have been killed. Hegseth told reporters the campaign is not an Iraq-style “endless war” but a decisive fight designed to destroy Iran’s missile threat and naval capabilities.

He insisted the United States did not start the conflict, saying Tehran’s hostility over 47 years brought the world to this moment, and that under President Trump the U.S. is now “finishing it.”

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Hegseth also denied the strikes are intended as broad regime change, even as Iran’s leadership has been disrupted, calling any change “a consequence” of the mission rather than its purpose.

“This is not a so-called regime change war,” he said, adding the operation pursues clear military goals and limits prolonged involvement.

Analysts say mounting casualties and expanding strikes raise political pressure at home, with lawmakers pushing debate over presidential war powers and long-term strategy.

The Pentagon says precision and overwhelming force are meant to avoid open-ended entanglement, but acknowledged further combat could continue. Lawmakers in both parties are slated to debate funding and oversight this week.

Officials expect more U.S. casualties even as Hegseth underscores a defined campaign end, not an open-ended conflict.

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