'Iran came with a lot of weapons': Top US general says Iran retains 'some capability'; Hegseth assures war not 'endless abyss'

“Iran came into this fight with a lot of weapons, which is why we continue to be aggressive,” said US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine during a press briefing Thursday, signaling a prolonged conflict as the war with Iran enters\ed its fourth week.His warning, however, contrasted sharply with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s assurance that the conflict is not an open-ended quagmire. Hegseth said the war is not an “endless abyss or a forever war or a quagmire.”“Iran came into this fight with a lot of weapons, which is why we continue to be aggressive; they still retain some capability,” Caine said. He emphasised that US CENTCOM “remains on plan to achieve our military objectives and remain unrelenting in our pursuit of Iranian missile capabilities, UAV capabilities, and their Navy and their industrial base.”

Caine detailed a broad campaign targeting Iran’s military infrastructure. “Each day, we continue to attack deeper into Iranian territory. As reported by US Central Command yesterday, the US military dropped 5,000-pound penetrator weapons into underground storage facilities storing coastal defence cruise missiles and other support equipment,” he said. He added that operations are aimed at mine storage, naval ammunition depots, afloat assets, one-way attack garrisons, and fast attack watercraft in the Straits of Hormuz.

US aircraft, including A-10 Warthogs and AH-64 Apaches, are active along the southern flank, while strikes in Iraq target Iranian-aligned militias to protect US forces and interests.Despite the general’s warning, Hegseth presented a far more confident view of the campaign. “The media here, not all of it, but much of it, wants you to think just 19 days into this conflict that we're somehow spinning toward an endless abyss or a forever war or a quagmire. Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “This is not those wars. President Trump knows better. Epic Fury is different…”Hegseth outlined the scope of US strikes. “To date, we've struck over 7,000 targets across Iran and its military infrastructure.

That is not incremental. That is an overwhelming force applied with precision.”Hegseth stressed that US objectives remain clear. “Epic Fury is different. It's laser-focused. It's decisive. Our objectives, given directly from our America First president, remain exactly what they were on day one… Destroy missiles, launchers, and Iran's defence industrial base so they cannot rebuild. Destroy their Navy, and Iran never gets a nuclear weapon…”The statements come as reports indicate the Pentagon is seeking an additional $200 billion in funding for the Iran war, according to a senior administration official.President Donald Trump and his administration have sent mixed signals on the joint US-Israeli campaign. To CBS News, Trump said the war “is very complete, pretty much. We're very far ahead of schedule.” When asked whether the operation could end soon, he added. “I don't know, it depends. Wrapping up is all in my mind, nobody else's.”Just days before that, Trump said he would not stop the war until Iran's “unconditional surrender.” But after his latest comments, it appeared an end to the military operation, which has disrupted shipping through the Straits of Hormuz, could be in sight. Trump added, “We could call it a tremendous success right now. Or we could go further. And we're going to go further.”