US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has claimed that Iran “begged” for a ceasefire after 40 days of war, during which American-led strikes decimated Tehran’s military capabilities. Speaking at the Pentagon’s first press briefing since President Donald Trump announced a two-week pause in hostilities, Hegseth said Operation Epic Fury had left Iran’s weapons factories in ruins and its armed forces combat ineffective for years.
“Iran begged for this ceasefire, and we all know it,” Hegseth told reporters, standing alongside Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine. He asserted that the final wave of strikes had “completely destroyed Iran’s defense industrial base,” though he acknowledged Iran could still fire stockpiled weapons but could no longer manufacture replacements.
The ceasefire, announced by Trump on Truth Social on Tuesday night, came less than two hours before his self-imposed deadline to escalate attacks. Trump credited a last-minute intervention by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Gen Asim Munir. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed acceptance, and the country’s supreme national security council said it would send a delegation to Islamabad for formal talks beginning Friday.
Iran also declared victory, with its security council stating that “nearly all the objectives of the war have been achieved.” The conflict, which began on 28 February with nearly 900 US-Israeli strikes, resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day. Hegseth insisted that the threat of further strikes—targeting power plants, bridges, and energy infrastructure—kept Iran at the negotiating table.
Caine confirmed 13 US service members were killed, with total regional deaths exceeding 5,000, including over 1,600 Iranian civilians. The US military had spent approximately $12.7 billion by day six, with a $200 billion supplemental request pending. The terms of a lasting deal remain unclear, with Trump demanding Iran hand over enriched uranium, while Iran’s counter-proposal explicitly demands the right to enrich.
The ceasefire’s scope is also disputed: Israel said it does not cover Lebanon, where its operations continue, while Pakistan and Iran maintain it does. Hegseth warned that US forces “are not going anywhere,” as Iran’s supreme national security council cautioned that “our hands are on the trigger.”
