Shafaq News- Washington
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that Iran had "begged for a ceasefire" after American forces systematically dismantled its military capabilities in under 40 days using roughly 10% of US Central Command's total strength.
Speaking at a press conference, Hegseth described the campaign as "not merely a reaction, but a precise operation" that unfolded in two phases. The first, Operation Midnight Hammer, targeted Iran's nuclear sites. The second, Operation Epic Fury, neutralized the Iranian military "within minutes of the main strikes beginning."
"Iran's navy is now at the bottom of the sea," Hegseth said, citing the destruction of frigates, submarines, mine-laying vessels, and drone carrier ships. "Its air force and air defense network have been completely eliminated. We now own their skies." He added that Iran's missile program had been "functionally destroyed," noting that Iran had fired hundreds of missiles and drones at the USS Abraham Lincoln, all intercepted before reaching their targets.
A final wave of 800 concentrated strikes, he said, destroyed Iran's entire defense industrial base, leaving Tehran "unable to rebuild missiles or drones after its factories were leveled." Additional targets -power stations, bridges, and oil facilities- had been prepared and were ready for strikes before Iran accepted the ceasefire, he said.
Hegseth said Iran's command and control centers had been destroyed, its remaining units were incapable of coordination, and its first-tier leadership had been "eliminated." The operations were conducted in coordination with Israeli partners, he added, describing Iran as "incapable of protecting its territory against a fraction of American power."
He called the outcome "a great and momentous day for world peace" - a framing that stood in direct contrast to Iran's Supreme National Security Council, which declared its own "victory" following the ceasefire, claiming Washington had accepted in principle a framework including non-aggression commitments, sanctions relief, and military withdrawal from the region. Trump, who announced the two-week suspension of operations, described the result as a "complete and comprehensive victory" and framed the 10-point negotiating proposal as a step toward lasting peace.