United States War Secretary Pete Hegseth declared that Iran is 'toast' as the United States and Israel intensify their joint military campaign, asserting that the two allies will soon have complete control over Iranian airspace. Speaking at the Pentagon alongside the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hegseth said the offensive has only just begun and promised sustained air operations aimed at destroying Iran’s missile systems, defense industry, and military leadership. He vowed that American and Israeli forces would deliver 'death and destruction from the sky' until they decide the conflict is over.

Hegseth claimed Iran’s senior leadership has been killed, incapacitated, or forced into hiding, and boasted that the Iranian air force has been eliminated while much of its navy has been destroyed. He said more waves of strikes are coming, including the use of large precision bombs, and insisted the United States has sufficient stockpiles to sustain the fight for as long as necessary. While acknowledging that not all Iranian attacks can be intercepted, he said most American forces in the region have been repositioned for protection.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs reported a sharp decline in Iranian missile and drone launches since the start of the operation, with ballistic missile fire down by more than eighty percent. According to military officials, more than two thousand targets have been struck and over twenty Iranian naval vessels destroyed, enabling the establishment of localized air superiority along Iran’s southern coast. Operations are expected to expand deeper into Iranian territory as the campaign continues.