US War Secretary: Washington Prepared to Cross 'All Red Lines' to Defeat Iran

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - US War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington is prepared to cross “all red lines” to secure victory in the ongoing war against Iran, as the United States intensifies its military strategy in the conflict.

On Wednesday, Hegseth delivered a video message posted on the platform X outlining the next phase of the US strategy.

He said American forces remain engaged in the fight every day, emphasizing that the administration of Donald Trump is focused on restoring military strength, rebuilding combat lethality, and reinforcing deterrence.

According to Hegseth, Washington has already removed what he described as bureaucratic and political distractions within the military structure in order to concentrate resources on winning wars.

He added that one of the areas requiring major reform is the legal support system within the United States Department of Defense.

Hegseth said military legal departments had grown overly bureaucratic over the past two decades, which he argued has reduced their effectiveness in supporting commanders during combat operations.

He explained that military legal advisors must focus primarily on operational law, military justice, intelligence law, and other areas directly linked to warfighting.

Under the new directive, the secretaries of the United States Army, United States Navy, and United States Air Force have been instructed to conduct a comprehensive review of legal structures within their services.

The review aims to eliminate duplication, reduce bureaucracy, and ensure military legal teams are directly supporting combat operations.

Civilian legal matters such as acquisitions, environmental issues, real estate, and personnel disputes will instead be handled by civilian legal offices.

Hegseth said the services have been given 45 days to submit reports outlining reforms through the Department of Defense’s general counsel.

Full implementation of the changes is expected within six months.

He emphasized that the ultimate goal is to ensure legal teams fully support military readiness and battlefield effectiveness.

“Our warriors deserve legal teams as lethal and focused as they are,” Hegseth said.

Separately, Chris Wright, the US energy secretary, announced that Washington will release 172 million barrels of crude oil from the country’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Wright said the move will begin next week and continue for 120 days, following a directive from President Donald Trump aimed at reducing global energy prices.

He also said 32 member states of the International Energy Agency approved a broader plan to collectively release 400 million barrels of crude oil from their strategic reserves in response to rising energy prices.

Wright said Iran has posed a threat to the energy security of the United States and its allies for 47 years, adding that under Trump’s leadership that threat would be addressed and US energy security protected.

Meanwhile, a report by Reuters citing US intelligence sources indicated that despite increasing pressure, Iran’s government is not expected to collapse in the near term.

According to the report, security assessments suggest the leadership in Tehran still maintains control over the country’s internal situation and state institutions.

The sources said Iran’s government and leadership continue to possess the capacity to manage domestic conditions and prevent political or security breakdown.

The report also cited a senior Israeli official who said there is no certainty that the current war against Iran and its allied groups would lead to the collapse of the political system in Tehran.

The intelligence assessment comes as tensions between Iran and Israel have reached unprecedented levels, although Washington believes the power structure in Tehran remains stable.

The conflict has since expanded across multiple fronts in the Middle East.