By Chris Summers
Contributing Writer
The joint attack by the United States and Israel against Iran has continued and widened on Monday, the third day of the conflict, with U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth not ruling out “boots on the ground” in Iran.
While hundreds of targets in Iran were hit successfully by U.S. and Israeli forces, three F-15E Strike Eagle fighter planes were shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses in a friendly fire incident late on Sunday night.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine told a Pentagon briefing on Monday that he was grateful all six aircrew survived the incident and said he could not comment further as it was under investigation.
U.S. officials confirmed that six American service members had been killed in the operation as of Monday.
Hegseth told reporters at a Pentagon briefing on Monday that an Iranian missile had gotten through U.S. air defenses and hit a tactical operations center, despite it being fortified.
“As it pertains to the U.S. casualties, that particular incident was, you know, you have air defenses and the lots coming in, and you hit most of it. And we absolutely do. We have incredible air defenders,” he said.
Hegseth went on to say that there was what is called a “squirter” — a missile that makes it through U.S. air defenses — that “happened to hit a tactical operation center that was fortified.”
The conflict, and Iran’s threat to disrupt energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil and gas flows, has led to a rise in oil prices.
Airlines have grounded flights since Saturday, but in a statement, Dubai-based Emirates said it would resume operating “a limited number of flights” on Monday night.
In other developments, Israel launched retaliatory strikes against Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. The Lebanese health ministry said that at least 31 people were killed and 149 others were injured in the attack.
U.S. President Donald Trump has also criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s initial refusal to allow U.S. bombers to use a joint UK-U.S. military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
In an interview with The Telegraph, published on Monday, Trump said Starmer’s initial refusal to allow the United States use of the base during tensions with Iran was unlike anything that had “happened between our countries before,” adding that it “took far too long” for the British leader to reverse course.
‘Synchronized Wave’
On Monday, during a Pentagon briefing, Caine gave more details about Operation Epic Fury, which he said began with a “synchronized wave” of attacks from the U.S. military and its Israeli allies.
He said U.S. Cyber Command and U.S. Space Command had both used measures designed to daze and confuse the enemy and that they now had “local air superiority” in the region.
“Operation Epic Fury stands as a reminder of what the United States military uniquely delivers,” Caine told the briefing.
“The ability to project power on a global scale with speed, surprise, precision, and overwhelming force when and where our nation requires it.
“To those who would test our resolve, or threaten the United States, our allies, or our interests, understand clearly we can reach you, we can sustain the fight, and we can scale the fight, and we will prevail.”
During a question-and-answer session at the end of the briefing, Hegseth was asked whether there were American “boots on the ground” in Iran, and he said there were not, but it would be foolish to go into detail about the war’s ultimate aim.
Hegseth said it would be wrong to spell out exactly how far the United States was prepared to go against the regime in Tehran, following the assassination of the 86-year-old Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whom Trump has described as an “evil man.”
“Iran has an ability to project power against us and our allies in a way that we can’t tolerate,” Hegseth told the briefing.
“President Trump ensures that our enemies understand we’ll go as far as we need to go to advance American interests,” said Hegseth, when asked about the Trump administration’s ultimate war aim.
“But we’re not dumb about it. You don’t have to roll 200,000 people in there and stay for 20 years. We’ve proven that you can achieve objectives that advance American interests without being foolish about it.”
Hegseth Says Radical Islamists Can’t Have Bomb
Hegseth said Trump had been willing to make a deal with Iran, adding that “Radical Islamists can’t have a nuclear bomb that they wield against the world.”
The friendly fire incident in Kuwait came as Iran continued to send hundreds of drones toward U.S. bases and civilian targets in several allied countries in the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.
A statement by U.S. Central Command said that “at 11:03 p.m. ET, March 1, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles flying in support of Operation Epic Fury went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident.”
“During active combat — that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses,” the statement reads.
It added that all six crew in the three planes managed to eject safely and parachute to the ground, were safely recovered, and are in “stable condition.”
Trump Says Iran Operation Could Last 4 to 5 Weeks
Trump said on Monday that the U.S. military operation in Iran is expected to last four to five weeks and is progressing ahead of schedule.
During a White House event to present the Medal of Honor to U.S. Army veterans, Trump said the mission is focused on dismantling Iran’s missile capabilities, crippling its naval forces, preventing the country from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and stopping the regime from funding and directing proxy forces beyond its borders.
According to Trump, U.S. strikes had already destroyed 10 Iranian vessels and significantly degraded the country’s missile infrastructure, including its ability to manufacture new systems.
“This was our last, best chance to strike — what we’re doing right now — and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime,” Trump said.
He added that the operation will continue for as long as necessary.
“Whatever the time is, it’s OK. Whatever it takes,” he said, dismissing suggestions that he is seeking a quick resolution.
In an interview with The Atlantic on Sunday, Trump said he is ready to talk with the new Iranian leadership.
“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” he said. “They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long.”
Trump has also declined to rule out deploying U.S. ground troops inside Iran.
“I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground,” he told the New York Post. “I don’t say there will be no boots on the ground. I say we probably don’t need them — unless they’re necessary.”
The United States launched the operation on Saturday in coordination with Israel, targeting senior Iranian leadership and military infrastructure.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top officials were killed during the strikes.
Iran has since retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, Gulf states, and U.S. assets in the region.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported that at least 555 people have been killed in Iran since the start of the U.S.-Israeli campaign. In Israel, Iranian missile strikes have killed 11 people.
The Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah also launched attacks against Israel, prompting Israeli strikes in Lebanon that have killed more than two dozen people.
Additional fatalities have been reported elsewhere in the region, including three in the United Arab Emirates, and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Speaking at the Pentagon on Monday, Hegseth said that the military campaign against Iran is not a repeat of the Iraq War.
“This is not Iraq. This is not endless,” he said, arguing that the current mission differs fundamentally from the nation-building efforts of the past two decades. “This is the opposite.”
US Hits More Than 1,250 Targets in First 48 Hours
The United States has hit more than 1,250 targets inside Iran in the first 48 hours of the war since it began on Saturday, U.S. Central Command said Monday.
The targets include command and control centers, the joint headquarters of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, integrated air defense systems, ballistic missile sites, navy ships, navy submarines, anti-ship missile sites, and military communication capabilities.
The U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran have destroyed 11 ships belonging to the Iranian regime, according to the Pentagon.
“Two days ago, the Iranian regime had 11 ships in the Gulf of Oman, today they have ZERO,” said U.S. Central Command in a Monday statement on X.
The military went on to say that the Iranian regime had used those ships to harass and attack international ships moving through the Gulf of Oman for years.
“Those days are over,” Central Command said. “Freedom of maritime navigation has underpinned American and global economic prosperity for more than 80 years. U.S. forces will continue to defend it.”
Iran has shot down 20 drones from its adversaries since the war began, according to Iranian state-run IRNA news agency.
Democrats Split on Trump’s Iran Strikes as War Powers Debate Looms
Congressional leaders of the Democratic Party have mostly been quick to decry Trump and Israel’s joint operation in Iran over the weekend, while many other party members have been supportive.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said that in conversations with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he has been clear the Trump administration must be straightforward with Congress and the American people, adding that Iran “must never be allowed to attain a nuclear weapon but the American people do not want another endless and costly war in the Middle East when there are so many problems at home.”
“The administration has not provided Congress and the American people with critical details about the scope and immediacy of the threat,” Schumer said in a Saturday statement after the strikes.
The strikes came two days after an end to the latest U.S.-Iran talks aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear program. Washington has claimed that Iran was rebuilding its nuclear capacity in recent months. Trump last week said that Iran was working on developing long-range missiles that could hit the United States.
In a news conference on Monday, Hegseth said that Iranian officials spent weeks stalling during the recent rounds of U.S. negotiations. He added that the latest strikes are designed to reduce Iran’s navy and end its nuclear and missile ambitions.
The operation, he added, had a “clear, devastating, decisive mission” to eliminate the threat of Iranian ballistic missiles, destroy the country’s navy, and ensure “no nukes.”
“No stupid rules of engagement, no nation-building quagmire, no democracy-building exercise, no politically correct wars. We fight to win, and we don’t waste time or lives,” Hegseth said.
Trump, in his video statements, has urged members of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and military police to lay down their arms and for the Iranian people “to take back your country.”
Iranian officials on Monday, however, have indicated that the regime would continue to fire barrages of missiles at U.S. assets and Israel. Iranian officials said through state-run Tasnim News that missiles were fired at an Israeli government complex in Tel Aviv, although it’s not clear whether the missiles landed.
The head of Iran’s security council, Ali Larijani, said in an article published Monday by Tasnim that Tehran does not seek negotiations with the Trump administration. This was seen as an attempt to refute a Wall Street Journal report indicating otherwise.
The U.S. has signaled that it is eventually willing to talk to Iran’s new leaders.
Trump Outlines 4 Objectives
During a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House on Monday, Trump outlined four key objectives for the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation.
He said U.S. forces are attempting to destroy Tehran’s missile capability, annihilate its navy, prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and ensure that “the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders.”
Jacob Burg, Naveen Athrappully, Savannah Hulsey Pointer, Jackson Richman and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
