U.S. Defense Secretary Claims Military Action Against Iran "Will Not Last Long"
Xinhua News Agency, Washington, March 2 - U.S. Secretary of Defense Hagel said on the 2nd that military actions against Iran will not last as long as those against Iraq.
Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dempsey held a joint press conference at the Pentagon that day. Hagel stated that the objective of U.S. military actions is very clear: to destroy Iran's offensive missiles, missile production facilities, and its naval and other security infrastructure, "so that they can never have nuclear weapons."
Hagel refused to disclose how long the U.S. military actions would last, and mentioned that President Trump hinted that the attacks could last 4 to 5 weeks, "This is not Iraq, and it will not be an endless war."
When asked if U.S. troops had entered Iran, Hagel said, "Not yet, we will not publicly discuss what we will or will not do."
Dempsey stated at the press conference that the scale of military operations is continuously expanding, and more aircraft will join in the coming days, but he refused to disclose the specific scale of the troop increase.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that military operations against Iran will not be prolonged, aiming to eliminate Iran's offensive missile capabilities and naval infrastructure. The operations are expanding, with additional aircraft expected to join. Austin indicated that no U.S. troops have yet entered Iran, and the potential duration of the operations is estimated at 4 to 5 weeks.
- U.S. Defense Secretary claims military actions against Iran will not last long.
- The objective is to destroy Iran's offensive missile and naval capabilities.
- Military operations are expanding with more aircraft to be deployed.
- No U.S. troops have entered Iran yet.
- The duration of operations is suggested to be 4 to 5 weeks.