Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Saturday that Iran had a chance to avoid war and make a deal but is now "suffering the consequences" as a result of a joint Israeli-U.S. military operation targeting the regime's leadership and military assets.
For months, the U.S. and Iran were engaged in high-stakes negotiations to reach an agreement restricting the Islamist regime's nuclear program, as well as its ballistic missile program and support for terrorist proxies in the Middle East. The sides last met Thursday in Geneva.
President Donald Trump said he preferred a diplomatic solution but did not rule out military action if the Iranians would not comply.
"The Iranian regime had their chance, yet refused to make a deal — and now they are suffering the consequences," Hegseth wrote on X.
Hegseth's post came hours after Israel and the U.S. launched attacks in what Israel has dubbed Operation Roaring Lion and America has called Operation Epic Fury.
The strikes killed Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Trump said.
Hegseth said that under Trump's orders, "the Department of War commenced OPERATION EPIC FURY — the most lethal, most complex, and most precision aerial operation in history."
"For almost 50 years, Iran has targeted and killed Americans, always seeking the world's most powerful weapons to further their radical cause," Hegseth wrote. "Last night, unlike any previous president, President Trump began dealing with this cancer."
Trump warned in his State of the Union address Tuesday that Iran was seeking to develop missiles capable of striking the U.S. and accused Tehran of working to rebuild a nuclear program that was targeted by American strikes last year.
"We will not tolerate powerful missiles targeting the American people," Hegseth wrote. "Those missiles will be destroyed, along with Iran's missile production. The Iranian navy will be destroyed. And, as President Trump has said his entire life, Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. The United States did not start this conflict, but we will finish it.
"If you kill or threaten Americans anywhere in the world — as Iran has — then we will hunt you down, and we will kill you. Our warriors are the best in the world, and they are fully unleashed to achieve our objectives. May God's providence protect them in this vital mission."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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