The US government promised to renew the record of aerial bombings against Iranian territory
The United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, stated this Friday (13 March 2026) that the new supreme leader of Iran, . At a press conference at the Pentagon, he said that the Iranian leadership is taking refuge in underground installations and described the country’s command as “desperate”.
The declaration is based on the fact that Mojtaba’s first official address to the nation, made on Thursday (12 March), was only in text, without audio or video from the leader. “Why a written statement? He is scared, hurt and without legitimacy. Not even Iran knows who is in charge”, declared the secretary.
MILITARY COLLAPSE
According to the Pentagon, the US offensive neutralized Tehran’s main forces:
- Navy: Hegseth stated that the Iranian fleet is “at the bottom of the Persian Gulf”;
- Air Force: considered non-functional by the US;
- Missiles and drones: the volume of missile fire fell by 90% and that of drones by 95%, according to data presented by the Trump administration.
STRAIT OF ORMUZ
Despite expectations of surrender, Mojtaba Khamenei stated that Iran will continue attacks on US bases and that it will remain closed. In response, Hegseth said the US “has options” and is considering escorting oil tankers with warships. The operation must be defined by the end of the month.
Although the secretary speaks of the “decimation” of Iran’s military industry, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, adopted a more cautious tone. Caine said that although the Iranian Navy is inoperative, the country still maintains the ability to threaten allied forces and commercial ships in the region.
The US government promised to renew the record of aerial bombings against Iranian territory this Friday (13th March). The objective, according to Hegseth, is to achieve the capacity to rebuild Iran’s defense industry, targeting production headquarters and weapons assembly sites.
CLIMBING IN TENSION
The US attack on Iran was carried out after weeks of tension between the 2 countries.
On February 19, Donald Trump stated that, within 10 days, he would know whether he should take “a step forward” in relation to an attack against the Persian country.
Afterwards, the Republican declared that everyone — including the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, Dan Caine — considers that a possible war against Iran would result in an “easy victory” for the Americans.
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday (Feb 24), Trump said that the US had not yet heard Iran say “those magic words: ‘we will never have a nuclear weapon’”.
In his speech, the American president stated that the Persian regime “has already developed missiles that could threaten Europe and our bases abroad and is working to build missiles that will soon reach the US”.
The statements were made while the country held diplomatic talks with Iran, which did not result in an agreement.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters the country would be willing to make concessions to the United States if the Americans recognized its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and lifted economic sanctions.
