Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made a secret trip to the Middle East over the weekend, where he met with U.S military personnel assigned to Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign to cripple Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.
On Tuesday, Mr. Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon that troop morale was high, saying the service members he spoke to at the unidentified Middle East base were determined to “finish the mission.”
During his half-day visit Saturday, Mr. Hegseth met an Army officer who had come up with a better plan to neutralize Iranian missiles, which saved “countless lives.” He also spoke to an Air Force intelligence analyst who had refined targeting missions faster than the Iranians could react to them.
“I witnessed urgency to finish the job, urgency to achieve mission success. Not looking at the next rotation, only moving as fast as possible to win,” Mr. Hegseth said. “What I witnessed was motivation. It was sheer mission focus. It was the American warrior unleashed.”
More than a month into Epic Fury, the Pentagon on Tuesday confirmed that B-52 Stratofortress bombers are now playing a major role in the conflict. Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the giant, non-stealthy bombers can now “get on top of the enemy” thanks to U.S. and Israeli air dominance over Iran.
“We continue to deliver precision strikes against key manufacturing nodes, component storage sites, and research facilities deep within Iranian territory,” Gen. Caine said. “We’ve struck more than 11,000 targets.”
Mr. Hegseth echoed President Trump’s growing frustration with NATO allies that have opted to sit out the conflict with Iran, including refusing the use of their airspace for any missions connected to Epic Fury.
“President Trump’s been willing to do the heavy lifting on behalf of the free world to address the threat of Iran,” the defense chief said. “It’s not just our problem set going forward, even though we have done the lion’s share of preparation.”
The Strait of Hormuz, a maritime chokepoint connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, is effectively closed to standard commercial traffic. An estimated 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas passes through the narrow waterway.
In a post on his Truth Social account, Mr. Trump said he had a suggestion for countries such as the United Kingdom that haven’t signed on to the mission.
“Number 1, buy [oil] from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait [of Hormuz] and just take it,” the president posted. “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself. The U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.”
The combination of Iranian threats, sea mines, and drone strikes has made the Strait of Hormuz a “no-go” zone for the vast majority of the world’s shipping. Analysts say standard transit has plummeted by more than 90% since the start of Operation Epic Fury.
Iran is managing a limited “controlled corridor” for ship traffic through the Strait, primarily to maintain energy exports to China.
The events of the last month have shown what steps NATO countries would be willing to take to support an operation against a country like Iran that is perfectly willing to fire missiles at countries not even involved in the conflict, including NATO member Turkey and nonaligned Azerbaijan.
“These are missiles that don’t even range the United States of America. And yet, when we ask for additional assistance or simple access … we get questions, or roadblocks or hesitations,” Mr. Hegseth said.
“President Trump is pointing out that you don’t have much of an alliance if you have countries that are not willing to stand with you when you need them,” the Pentagon chief said.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Tuesday that it plans to begin targeting major U.S. tech firms across the Middle East, including Apple, Microsoft, and Google. The country’s state-owned Mehr News Agency said the IRGC claims the U.S. and Israel rely on the companies when planning their attacks.
“Companies with active involvement in terrorist planning would face reciprocal measures for each assassination attempt,” the news agency said. “The statement advised employees of the named institutions to immediately leave their workplaces for safety reasons.”
The IRGC also warned residents living within a one-kilometer radius of the companies to move to a secure location, according to the Mehr report.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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