Hegseth Vows More Strikes on Iran, Calls Israeli Military ‘Devastatingly Capable’

WASHINGTON (VINnews) — U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared Wednesday that Iran is “toast” as he praised the Israeli military and described the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign as overwhelmingly successful just days into the conflict.

Speaking at the Pentagon alongside Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hegseth said the United States is winning “decisively, devastatingly and without warning.”

“When you add the Israeli Defence Force, a devastatingly capable force, the combination is sheer destruction for our radical Islamist adversaries,” Hegseth said. “They are toast, and they know it.”

He said that within days, the two countries’ air forces would have what he described as complete and uncontested control over Iranian airspace, allowing round-the-clock operations targeting missile systems, defense infrastructure and military leadership.

Hegseth echoed President Donald Trump’s pledge that additional and larger waves of strikes are coming, saying more bombers and fighter jets were arriving in the region. He said U.S. forces are using 1,000-pound and 500-pound GPS- and laser-guided precision bombs and claimed Iran is running out of missiles.

Addressing the deaths of six U.S. service members in Iranian missile attacks, Hegseth vowed retaliation, saying, “We will avenge them, no doubt.”

He also confirmed that a U.S. submarine fired a torpedo that sank an Iranian warship overnight, calling it the first such torpedo attack on an enemy vessel since World War II. Another Iranian naval vessel, identified as the Soleimani, was also sunk, he said.

Iranian officials have not immediately commented on the latest claims. The escalating conflict has heightened concerns of a broader regional war as both sides signal operations are continuing.