03/31/2026March 31, 2026Pentagon: US has more options, Iran has ever fewer as war goes on
Hegseth said he had visited US troops in the Middle East over the weekendImage: Will Oliver/CNP/ZUMA/IMAGO
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine on Tuesday offered updates on the situation in Iran at a Pentagon news conference.
Caine said US military operations in Iran are currently focused on targeting Tehran’s “minelaying capability, their naval assets.” Caine, who said attack helicopters were joining the effort, told reporters that US forces have taken out “more than 150 ships.”
Additionally, Caine said that US and Israeli forces are targeting Iran’s defense industrial complex.
“This includes factories, warehouses, nuclear weapons research and development labs, and the associated infrastructure required for Iran to reconstitute its combat capability,” said the general.
For his part, Hegseth said the US was keen to wrap up the war on its own terms.
“We have more and more options,” he said, “and they have less… in only one month we set the terms, the upcoming days will be decisive,” he said. “Iran knows that, and there’s almost nothing they can militarily do about it.”
The defense secretary again refused to rule out “boots on the ground,” but reiterated what President Trump has said about alleged talks with Iran. “They are very real. They are ongoing, they are active, and I think, gaining strength.”
“In the meantime, we’ll negotiate with bombs,” he added.
Asked about reports that both China and Russia are aiding Iran’s defense, Hegseth said, “As far as Russia and China, we know exactly what they’re doing, what they are or are not doing.”