US not expanding military objectives in iran, hegseth says

US not expanding military objectives in Iran, Hegseth says

US Military Operations and Strategic Objectives in Iran

By Phil Stewart

Official Statements on Military Objectives

TAMPA, Florida, March 5 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday the United States was not expanding its military objectives in Iran, after President Donald Trump told Reuters the United States must be involved in choosing the next leader of Iran.

The Pentagon earlier this week said the military campaign, known as Operation Epic Fury, is focused on destroying Iran's offensive missiles, missile production and navy, while not allowing Tehran to have a nuclear weapon.

"There's no expansion in our objectives. We know exactly what we're trying to achieve," Hegseth said. 

He added that Trump was "having a heck of a say in who runs Iran given the ongoing operation."

Presidential Involvement

In a telephone interview with Reuters on Thursday, Trump said the United States would have to help pick the next person to lead the country. 

Regional Impact and Iranian Retaliation

   The U.S. and Israeli military campaign that started on Saturday has hit targets across the country and triggered Iranian retaliatory strikes in the region as Tehran seeks to impose a high cost on the United States, Israel and their allies.

Iran's Regional Attacks

Iran has attacked countries including Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Fire crews in Bahrain extinguished a blaze at a refinery following a missile strike.

Azerbaijan's Involvement

Azerbaijan became the latest country drawn in, as it accused Iran of firing drones at its territory and ordered its southern airspace closed for 12 hours.

US Response to Regional Escalation

Hegseth said by striking countries in the region, Iran would only bring them closer to the United States.

"It's actually firming up the unity of the resistance in order to focus exactly where we need to," Hegseth said.

Next Phase of Operations

NEXT PHASE OF OPERATIONS

The United States has hit more than 2,000 targets in Iran, including Iranian warships. 

Destruction of Iranian Military Assets

Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, said U.S. forces had destroyed 30 Iranian warships, including an Iranian drone carrier ship earlier on Thursday.

Cooper said the United States was hitting Iran's ability to rebuild.

Transition to Systematic Dismantling

"As we transition to the next phase of this operation, we will systematically dismantle Iran's missile production capability for the future, and that's absolutely in progress," Cooper said, adding that it would take some time.

US Military Losses and Warnings

The U.S. military has identified the six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers killed when a drone slammed into a U.S. military facility in Port ​Shuaiba, Kuwait.

Trump and other senior officials have warned the Iran conflict will result in more U.S. military deaths.

Hegseth's Warning to Iran

Hegseth, during the press conference, said Iran was making a mistake if it believed that the United States could not sustain the ongoing war, adding that Washington had just begun to fight.

"Iran is hoping that we cannot sustain this, which is a really bad miscalculation," Hegseth said. "We set the timeline."

(Reporting by Phil Stewart in Tampa, Florida. Additional reporting by Idrees Ali, Kanishka Singh and Ismail Shakil. Writing by Idrees Ali; Editing by Don Durfee and Christian Schmollinger)