WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that Iran still retains the ability to launch offensive missiles a month into the war, even as U.S. and Israeli forces have carried out sustained strikes aimed at degrading Tehran\u2019s military capabilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, they will shoot some missiles, but we will shoot them down,\u201d Hegseth told reporters during a briefing at the Pentagon. <\/p>\n
The acknowledgment underscores that despite weeks of intensive U.S. operations targeting Iran\u2019s missile infrastructure, the threat has not been fully eliminated and continues to be a factor in the military operation. <\/p>\n
Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the briefing that the U.S. military remains focused on \u201cinterdicting and destroying\u201d warehouses and building facilities that supply missiles, drones and naval ships to Iran\u2019s forces.<\/p>\n
As the campaign continues, thousands of American soldiers have begun arriving in the Middle East as President Trump weighs the next steps in the conflict, while also signaling openness to a diplomatic resolution with Iran.<\/p>\n
Hegseth said those diplomatic talks are \u201cvery real,\u201d but stressed that the the military pressure will continue alongside those negotiations and that ground operations remain an option. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we can come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cIf we needed to, we could execute those options on behalf of the president of the United States and this department, or maybe we don\u2019t have to use them at all. Maybe negotiations will work.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the goal is to remain \u201cunpredictable.\u201d Caine added that the presence of U.S. ground forces in the region can serve as a \u201cpressure point\u201d as diplomatic efforts continue.<\/p>\n
As U.S. military officials weigh their options on the ground, Trump administration officials have faced challenges in securing support from some U.S. allies, an issue that Hegseth and President Trump have publicly pointed out.<\/p>\n
Early on Tuesday, Trump complained that countries have \u201crefused to get involved\u201d in the war and in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil route that Iran has closed during the conflict, disrupting global energy markets. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won\u2019t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren\u2019t there for us,\u201d Trump wrote on Truth Social. \u201cIran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!\u201d<\/p>\n
In a separate Truth Social post, Trump singled out France for barring Israeli military planes from flying over its airspace.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe USA will REMEMBER!!!\u201d Trump posted on Truth Social.<\/p>\n