Iran “begged” for a ceasefire agreement, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced during a press conference Wednesday morning, claiming total victory for the United States and noting that President Donald Trump “forged this moment.”
Speaking of the eleventh-hour ceasefire following Trump’s threat to end an entire civilization, Hegseth pointed to the broader picture, reminding Americans that Iran has a history of “targeting our people, killing Americans, [and] lying and blackmailing their way toward a nuclear weapon.”
“So they thought. No longer. Not on our watch,” Hegseth said, explaining that other presidents have kicked the can down the road. However, he said, Trump took a different approach, making history.
Proclaiming that Trump “forged this moment,” Hegseth said:
From the strike that took out Qasem Soleimani to tearing up the disastrous Obama-Iran deal, to the precision campaign that obliterated Iran’s nuclear sites in Operation Midnight Hammer, to the decisive military victory we just achieved in Operation Epic Fury, no other president has shown the courage and resolve of this commander-in-chief.
Further, Hegseth said, “Iran begged for this ceasefire, and we all know it.” He also deemed Operation Epic Fury a “historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield, a capital ‘V’ military victory by any measure,” explaining that the operation completely “decimated” Iran’s military and “rendered it combat-ineffective for years to come.”
Hegseth also said this victory serves as “retribution for every American lost to Iranian terror, especially those brave troops killed by Iranian-made roadside bombs in Iraq,” as well as for the terror the Iranian regime has inflicted around the world.
As a result of this effort, Iran, the Defense Secretary said, knows its future nuclear capabilities are shot and that they will “never” possess a nuclear weapon.
“The President has been clear from the beginning, there will be no Iranian nuclear weapons. Period, full stop. Other presidents said it. President Trump did it,” Hegseth said, adding, “We control their fate, not the other way around.”
WATCH:
His remarks follow Tuesday night’s news of a two-week ceasefire, giving both sides a chance for serious in-person talks. According to reports, the U.S. has a 15-point plan, while Iran has a ten-point proposal.
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