Pentagon Chief Says Coming Days in Iran War Will Be Decisive

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine during a press briefing. (Wikimedia Commons/DoD/U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)

JAKARTA - US Secretary of War (formerly Secretary of Defense) Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday, the coming days in the Iran war would be "decisive", while refusing to rule out the possibility of US ground troops playing a role in the conflict.

"The coming days will be decisive. Iran knows that, and there is almost nothing they can do militarily to overcome it," said Defense Minister Hegseth, launching Al Arabiya (31/3).

In the same press conference, Defense Minister Hegseth revealed that he had gone to the Middle East over the weekend, and said that talks to end the conflict "are gaining strength."

When asked about concerns among President Donald Trump's base of support regarding the possible use of ground troops in Iran, the Pentagon chief was reluctant to give any clues.

"You can't fight and win if you tell the other side what you are willing to do, or what you are not willing to do, including ground troops," he said.

"If necessary, we can carry out these options on behalf of the US President and this department. Or maybe we don't need to use them at all, maybe negotiations work," said Defense Secretary Hegseth.

The Pentagon chief said talks to end the war were progressing, even though the more than month-long US-Israeli military campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran continued.

"The talks are very real. They are ongoing, active, and according to me, they are getting stronger," said Defense Minister Hegseth regarding the negotiations.

He also said he had made a surprise visit to meet US forces taking part in operations against Iran.

"We were on the ground in the CENTCOM area on Saturday for about half a day. For operational security reasons, so that the troops are not targeted, the locations and bases will not be named," said Secretary of Defense Hegseth, referring to the US command responsible for the region.

"Suffice it to say, the journey was an honor. I had the opportunity to witness firsthand, and I witnessed the best of America," he said.

Defense Secretary Hegseth also said the US was very aware of what China and Russia were doing to help Iran and was confronting those efforts where necessary.

Asked about reports that Russia and China are helping Iran, Hegseth said: "As far as Russia and China are concerned, we know exactly what they are doing, what they are doing or not doing."

"We don't need to announce it publicly, but where it is necessary, we deal with it, we mitigate it, or we deal with it directly," he said.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Military, General Dan Caine, on the same occasion said that US forces had attacked more than 11,000 targets so far.

The United States "continues to destroy Iran's ballistic missile and (drone) capabilities. We remain focused on preventing and destroying the supply and supply lines that support these programs," he said.

And "we continue to assert dominance over the Iranian navy. We remain focused on targeting their mine-laying capabilities, as well as their naval assets," added General Caine.