We didn’t start this war but we are finishing it: US Defense Secretary

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today that the US strikes on Iran is not meant to be “regime change,” while he acknowledged that the leadership in the country has changed.

“This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change and the world is better off for it,” Hegseth said.

The US Defense Secretary also argued that the US didn’t start the war, claiming Iran has carried out attacks for decades in a “one-sided war against America.”
“We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it,” Hegseth added.

Speaking at a special press briefing, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the country is mourning four armed forces personnel lost so far.

“The absolute best of America,” he said.

“May we prosecute the remainder of this operation in a manner that honours them, no apologies, no hesitation, epic fury,” he added.

Meanwhile, the US Defense Secretary urged the Iranian security forces to “choose wisely”.

“We fight to win and we don’t waste time or lives,” he emphasised.

Pete Hegseth went onto say that peaceful nuclear ambitions “do not need to be buried underneath mountains”.

He referenced last year’s Operation Midnight Hammer, which he said saw the US obliterate Iran’s nuclear sites.

The US defense secretary also accused Tehran of refusing to negotiate a “peaceful and sensible” deal with the US.

“They were stalling, buying time to reload their missile stockpiles and restart their nuclear ambitions,” he added.

“President Trump doesn’t play those games.”

The US defense secretary claimed that Iran has a “conventional gun to our head as they tried to lie their way to a nuclear bomb”, and “it almost worked” under Obama and his “terrible deal”.

He added that the Iran regime was “gifted death from America and death from Israel”.

It’s “not a so-called regime change war”, but the regime “surely changed and the world is better off for it”.

Hegseth also said that the operation against Iran will not lead to an “endless war”. Instead, he said, the US’s aim is to destroy Tehran’s missiles and other security infrastructure.

Hegseth added that Donald Trump has drawn the line “after 47 years of Iranian belligerence”.

The US Defense Secretary also warned that anyone who kills or threatens Americans will be hunted down by the US “without apology and without hesitation”.

- Agencies