US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a blunt warning to Iran after overnight US airstrikes, declaring that any threat to Americans would be met with lethal force.
“If you kill or threaten Americans anywhere in the world — as Iran has — then we will hunt you down, and we will kill you,” the Pentagon chief wrote on X, following the launch of Operation Epic Fury.
The United States and Israel launched a major joint military operation against Iran, which US President Donald Trump said was designed to weaken Tehran’s military capabilities and neutralise its nuclear and missile threats.
Trump described the offensive, known as Operation Epic Fury, as a historic campaign to eliminate “imminent threats” from Iran and urged the Iranian people to “take over your government” once the strikes conclude, framing it as an opportunity for regime change.
He said the operation, ordered by Trump, marked “the most lethal, most complex, and most-precision aerial operation in history”.
“Overnight, on President Trump’s orders, the Department of War commenced OPERATION EPIC FURY,” he wrote, describing the mission as a historic escalation.
Hegseth accused Tehran of refusing diplomatic efforts. “The Iranian regime had their chance, yet refused to make a deal — and now they are suffering the consequences,” he said, adding that for nearly five decades Iran had “targeted and killed Americans” while pursuing advanced weapons capabilities.
“Last night, unlike any previous president, President Trump began dealing with this cancer,” he wrote.
He vowed to dismantle Iran’s military capabilities, saying, “We will not tolerate powerful missiles targeting the American people. Those missiles will be destroyed, along with Iran’s missile production.” He added that “the Iranian navy will be destroyed” and reiterated that “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”
“The United States did not start this conflict, but we will finish it,” Hegseth wrote, saying American forces were “fully unleashed to achieve our objectives.”
He concluded by praising US troops: “Our warriors are the best in the world, and they are fully unleashed to achieve our objectives. May God’s providence protect them in this vital mission.”
The remarks underscore Washington’s hardened stance as military operations against Iranian targets intensify across the region.
