War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday confirmed reports Iran's new supreme leader was wounded during the U.S.-Israeli military action, adding that Mojtaba Khamenei likely has been "disfigured."
In a forceful Pentagon briefing shown live on Newsmax, Hegseth said the Iranian regime is reeling after nearly two weeks of sustained U.S. and Israeli strikes, with its leadership in hiding and its military capabilities rapidly collapsing.
"We know the new so-called not so supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured," Hegseth said, arguing that the absence of a public video or voice message from Khamenei spoke volumes.
He described Iran's ruling class as "desperate and hiding," saying the regime can barely communicate, let alone coordinate.
The broader message from Friday's briefing was that the Trump administration believes the campaign is working exactly as intended.
Hegseth, speaking alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine, said Iran's air defenses are effectively gone, its air force is no longer functioning, and its navy has been shattered.
He added that missile and drone attacks have dropped sharply as American and Israeli forces keep hammering launchers, depots, factories, and command nodes.
Caine echoed that assessment, saying "Operation Epic Fury" entered its 13th day with continued progress toward the same military objectives officials have outlined since the start: Destroy Iran's missile threat, cripple its defense industrial base, break its naval power, and deny the regime a path to a nuclear weapon.
Those goals match what Hegseth publicly described in earlier Pentagon briefings as a "laser-focused" mission, not an open-ended Middle East entanglement.
Friday's briefing also made clear that the Pentagon sees no reason to expand the mission into nation-building or a prolonged occupation.
Hegseth stressed that President Donald Trump has kept the operation tightly centered on U.S. interests, contrasting it with what he called the failed, shifting missions of past administrations.
"We've defined these objectives. We're pursuing those objectives," Hegseth said, pushing back on media suggestions that the conflict is spiraling. Instead, he argued, Iran is "shrinking" while America and its allies are gaining the upper hand.
Caine also highlighted the role of the joint force, praising American troops for delivering precision strikes from land, sea, and air.
He said U.S. artillery units have already used advanced missile systems to hit targets deep inside enemy territory and sink multiple Iranian vessels.
The briefing came one day after a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq during a combat mission.
Caine said the incident did not result from hostile or friendly fire, while The Associated Press reported that four of the six crew members had been confirmed dead as recovery efforts continued.
For the administration, Friday's message was unmistakable: The mission remains on track, the objectives remain unchanged, and Iran's regime is paying a steep price under Trump's peace-through-strength doctrine.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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