The U.S. military's "difficult and gritty" objectives in its conflict with Iran "will take some time to achieve," Air Force Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday.
Standing alongside War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth, Caine detailed the first 57 hours of Operation Epic Fury, a multidomain assault launched under orders from President Donald Trump to dismantle Iran's missile, naval, and nuclear capabilities.
"This is not a single overnight operation," Caine said, emphasizing that major combat operations are ongoing and that battle damage assessments are being conducted in real time.
"We expect to take additional losses ... but we remain focused."
Hegseth said that after "47 years of Iranian belligerence," America is no longer absorbing attacks through proxies and roadside bombs but striking back.
"We didn't start this war," Hegseth said. "But under President Trump, we are finishing it."
According to Caine, U.S. forces — working in coordination with Israel — have struck more than 1,000 Iranian targets in the first 24 hours.
The operation has included over 100 aircraft sorties, Tomahawk missile launches from Navy vessels, and 37-hour round-trip B-2 bomber missions from the continental U.S. targeting deeply buried facilities.
Key achievements include:
- Established local air superiority over parts of Iran.
- Disrupted Iranian command-and-control networks through cyber and space operations.
- Struck ballistic missile sites and naval assets along Iran's southern flank.
- Intercepted hundreds of Iranian ballistic missiles and drones aimed at U.S. forces and regional partners.
Caine confirmed that U.S. Patriot and THAAD systems, along with Navy destroyers, have successfully intercepted incoming threats "with precision and consistency."
Partner nations, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, have joined regional air defense efforts.
Three U.S. F-15 fighter jets were lost overnight, though Caine said they were not brought down by enemy fire and that the crews were safe.
Hegseth also confirmed four American service members have been killed in the operation after a missile penetrated air defenses and struck a tactical operations center.
Despite early successes, both leaders made clear that the fight is far from over.
Iran retains long-range strike capabilities, including ballistic missiles and one-way attack drones.
Caine said the targeting cycle is ongoing and that U.S. Central Command is simultaneously conducting strikes and assessing damage — a complex process that "will take longer" than a single-night operation.
Hegseth outlined clear objectives: destroy Iran's offensive missile arsenal, dismantle its naval power, and ensure it can never obtain nuclear weapons.
"You can't have radical Islamists with a nuclear bomb," he said, criticizing what he called the failure of the Obama-era nuclear deal and contrasting it with Trump's "peace through strength" approach.
There are currently no U.S. "boots on the ground" in Iran, but Hegseth declined to rule out future options, saying it would be "foolishness" to telegraph operational limits.
Trump, he said, will determine the tempo and duration of the campaign.
"This is not Iraq. This is not endless," Hegseth said. "We fight to win."
As operations continue across land, sea, air, cyber, and space domains, Caine closed with a warning to adversaries: "We can reach you, we can sustain the fight, and we will prevail."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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