According to the senior US official, the Iranian war machinery is in a situation of unprecedented operational collapse. One of the most significant blows has occurred in the naval field. Hegseth has confirmed that the Iranian "surface fleet" has "ceased to be a relevant factor" after having "damaged or sunk more than 120 of its warships" during the confrontations.
The devastation also extends to underwater units, a key element in Tehran's blockade strategy in the region. "Their submarines, of which they had eleven, have disappeared. Their military ports have been rendered unusable," stated the Pentagon chief, emphasizing the magnitude of the loss for the Islamic Republic. This destruction of critical infrastructure currently prevents any attempt at reorganizing the Iranian navy. Beyond the sea, Iran's ability to project its power through long-range technology has also been drastically reduced. The Secretary of War has reported that the production of ballistic missiles "has probably suffered the hardest blow" within the conflict, experiencing a collapse of "90% since the start of the conflict."
The situation is similar in the case of "kamikaze drones," whose availability has also decreased by 90%. Although the Pentagon expects continued aggression attempts, Hegseth has been clear about the current limitations of the enemy: "Certainly, the Iranians will continue to launch attacks, we know that, but they would do so with much greater intensity if they could. The fact is they cannot." Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, has revealed that US forces are "striking deeper into Iranian territory" each day. Operations include the use of 5,000-pound penetrating bombs against "underground storage facilities housing coastal defense cruise missiles and other support equipment."
The objective of these incursions, penetrating further east into the airspace, is to "neutralize Iran's ability to project power beyond its borders." Hegseth has defended the nature of this conflict against criticism, describing it as an operation of "absolute precision focus" centered on destroying the Iranian navy and nuclear potential. He clarified that these attacks "are not aimed at nation-building or promoting democracy, but at crushing direct threats against the United States, American citizens, and our interests." Under the premise that "we fight to win, and we are winning on our own terms," the Pentagon has refrained from setting an exact date for the cessation of hostilities, despite initially estimating a duration of between five and eight weeks. According to Hegseth, "ultimately, it is the president who decides when we will say, 'We have achieved what is necessary, on behalf of the American people, to ensure our security'."