Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on March 2 that the military campaign against Iran is designed to achieve specific military objectives—not to engage in nation-building.

Speaking at the Pentagon, Hegseth rejected comparisons to 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.”

Hegseth said the operation is focused on dismantling Iran’s offensive military capabilities. Its stated goals include destroying missile launch systems and production facilities, degrading naval forces, and eliminating remaining nuclear-related infrastructure.

He argued that Iran has spent decades using conventional weapons and proxy forces to target Americans and U.S. allies while advancing its nuclear ambitions.

The current campaign, he said, is intended to neutralize those threats directly.

According to Hegseth, the operation is one of the most complex and coordinated air campaigns ever conducted, involving synchronized efforts across air, sea, cyber, and space domains in partnership with Israel and regional allies.

More than 100 aircraft—including B-2 bombers—along with carrier strike groups, cyber and space assets, and air and missile defense systems have been deployed.

In the first 24 hours alone, officials said U.S. forces struck more than 1,000 targets, including command-and-control centers, ballistic missile sites, naval assets, and intelligence facilities.

The Pentagon said U.S. forces have established localized air superiority and intercepted hundreds of incoming missiles and drones.

“We fight to win,” Hegseth said. “No nation-building quagmire. No democracy-building exercise. We don’t waste time or lives.”

Hegseth acknowledged that casualties were expected, echoing earlier remarks from President Donald Trump.

United States Central Command confirmed that four U.S. service members have been killed in the operation, and several others wounded.

The Pentagon also reported that three F-15E aircraft were lost in an incident that remains under investigation and was not attributed to enemy fire.

The United States launched the operation on Saturday alongside Israel.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials were killed during the strikes, according to U.S. officials.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported that at least 555 people have been killed in Iran since the campaign began.

Iranian missile strikes targeting Israel have killed 11 people.

Israel has also carried out strikes in Lebanon in response to attacks from the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, resulting in roughly two dozen additional deaths.

Hegseth declined to provide a specific timeline for the operation or disclose total troop numbers, saying operational decisions are set by the president and that certain details would not be made public.

He confirmed that there are currently no U.S. ground troops inside Iran, though he stopped short of ruling out that possibility in the future.

Trump later echoed what Hegseth said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.