Hegseth Says US Used Less Than 10% Of Its Capabilities Against Iran and Will 'Take' Uranium If Tehran Refuses
Pete Hegseth declared that the United States destroyed Iran's entire air defense system, dismantled its missile launch platforms and production facilities, and warned Tehran it must surrender its enriched uranium stockpile — or the US will take it.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The United States went to war against Iran using less than a tenth of its military power — and still dismantled every air defense system the country possessed. That was the message Pete Hegseth delivered to the world on Wednesday, as he stood before reporters to address the ceasefire and its terms.
On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a press conference on the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, calling it a historic day for global peace. "I believe the ceasefire will be lasting," he said.
Hegseth made clear that Iran had sought the ceasefire because it had been subjected to a devastating military campaign. He stated that the United States had achieved every military objective it had set from the first day of the war, according to the plan laid out before hostilities began. Iran, he said, has lost all of its air defense capabilities, and the United States now controls Iranian airspace. Missile launch platforms inside Iran have been destroyed, and the facilities used to manufacture missiles have been completely eliminated.
In one of the most striking assertions of the press conference, Hegseth emphasized that all of this was accomplished using less than 10% of American military capabilities.
Uranium: 'We'll take it'
Hegseth issued a stark warning regarding Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, stating that the United States has it under observation and that Tehran will have no choice but to surrender it. "We're watching it. We know what they have, and they will give it up, and we'll get it, and we'll take it. If we have to, we can do it in any, any means necessary," he said.
The defense secretary outlined the possible methods, referencing previous operations: "They'll give it to us voluntarily, we'll get it, we'll take it, we'll take it out, or if we have to do something else ourselves, like we did Midnight Hammer or something like that, we reserve that opportunity."