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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe United States has clarified its objectives in the ongoing military operations against Iran, stressing that the campaign is not a nation-building effort like the Iraq war, and warning that more US casualties should be anticipated.Speaking at a Pentagon briefing on Monday, US defense secretary Pete Hegseth<\/a> said, operations in Iran are not Iraq and the war is not going be “endless”. He also asserted that US president Trump believes that idea of nation building wars that America was involved in for last 20 years was “dumb.”\u201cThis is not Iraq. This is not endless. I was there for both. Our generation knows better, and so does this president. He called the last 20 years of nation building wars dumb, and he\u2019s right,\u201d he said. Hegseth described the strikes as a \u201cclear, devastating, decisive mission\u201d focused on destroying Iran\u2019s missile threat, naval capabilities, and preventing nuclear advancement, emphasizing that this is not a regime-change operation. \u201cThis is not a so-called \u2018regime change war\u2019 but the regime sure did change and the world is better off for it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Dan Caine, said the operation \u201cis not a single, overnight operation\u201d and warned that more US casualties are likely. Four American servicemembers have been killed since US and Israeli strikes began over the weekend, including in a suspected drone attack in Kuwait.Caine expressed condolences to the families of the fallen, calling them \u201cheroes and representing the best our nation has to offer. They\u2019re true examples of what selfless service means.\u201dThe US military said that the strikes are the result of months and, in some cases, years of deliberate planning. Caine said US forces \u201cdelivered synchronized and layered effects designed to disrupt, degrade, deny and destroy Iran\u2019s ability to conduct sustained combat operations on the US side.\u201d<\/p>\n Hegseth defended the timing of the strikes, saying Iranian officials had stalled negotiations despite multiple opportunities to reach a peaceful deal. \u201cThe former regime had every chance to make a peaceful and sensible deal. But Tehran was not negotiating. They were stalling,\u201d he said. On the timeline for operations, Hegseth declined to provide specifics. \u201cAs far as time frame, I would never hang a time frame,\u201d he said, noting that President Donald Trump retains the latitude to define it.The US has framed the mission as limited and targeted, focusing on neutralizing specific threats rather than engaging in long-term occupation or reconstruction, signalling a distinct strategic approach compared to past Middle East conflicts.<\/div>\n\nMore losses expected
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