Additional Coverage:
Secretary of War Warns of Further Casualties in Ongoing Iran Conflict
Washington D.C. – Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has issued a stark warning that additional casualties are to be expected in Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing military engagement in Iran. His comments, made during a “60 Minutes” interview on Sunday, follow the deaths of seven U.S. service members in recent attacks.
“The president’s been right to say there will be casualties,” Hegseth stated. “Things like this don’t happen without casualties.”
He continued, emphasizing the nation’s resolve, “There will be more casualties. And no one is – I mean, especially our generation knows what it’s like to see Americans come home in caskets, it’s – but that doesn’t weaken us one bit.
It stiffens our spine and our resolve to say this is a fight we will finish.”
The recent losses include six U.S. service members killed on March 1 in a drone attack in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, while supporting Operation Epic Fury. A seventh service member succumbed to injuries sustained in a separate Iranian attack on troops in Saudi Arabia, also on March 1.
The U.S. and Israel initiated joint strikes against Iran last week, prompting retaliatory actions from Iran, which has launched strikes against Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab states, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Amidst the escalating tensions, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi conveyed a defiant message to NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday. Aragchi warned that if the U.S. deploys ground troops in Iran, “we have very brave soldiers who are waiting for any enemy who enters into our soil, to fight with them and to kill them and destroy them.”
“We never give up, we never surrender, and we continue to resist as long as it takes,” Aragchi asserted. “We continue to defend ourselves, and we are defending our territory, our people and our dignity. And our dignity is not for sale.”
When questioned by reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday about the potential use of ground troops in the Iran operation, President Donald Trump indicated that such a move would require “a very good reason.” Trump added, “And I would say if we ever did that, [Iran] would be so decimated they wouldn’t be able to fight at the ground level.”