Hegseth: 'We didn't start this war but under President Trump we're finishing it'

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, seen here in January, detailed the U.S. operation against Iran. ** Joe Raedle/Getty Images ** hide caption

toggle captionPentagon chief Pete Hegseth said Monday the U.S.-Israeli action against Iran was in response to the Islamic republic's years-long targeting of the U.S. military and interests around the world.

"We didn't start this war but under President Trump we're finishing it," he said.

The remarks are the administration's first in public to reporters since the U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran began Saturday despite weeks of talks designed to stave off a conflict. That operation – and Iran's retaliation – has resulted in the death of Iran's supreme leader and some of its senior leadership, embroiled other Middle Eastern nations in the conflict, and led to the deaths of four American service members in Kuwait.

"This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change," Hegseth said. "And the world is better off for it."

Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that the military objective in Iran "will be difficult to achieve, and in some cases, will be difficult and gritty work."

"We expect to take additional losses, and as always, we will work to minimize losses," Caine said.

Hegseth said the U.S. goal in Iran was to "destroy the missile threats, destroy the navy, no nukes." He rejected the notion that the conflict would be prolonged or would engage in nation-building.

Caine said the mission was "to protect and defend ourselves, and together with our regional partners, prevent Iran from the ability to project power outside of its borders."

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs said some of the work was the result of "months, and in some cases, years, of deliberate planning and refinement."

He said the initial phase targeted Iranians' command and control infrastructure, naval forces, ballistic missile sites and intelligence infrastructure, "leaving the adversary without the ability to see, coordinate or respond effectively."

Trump told *The New York Times *on Sunday that combat operations will continue for "four to five weeks" if necessary – until all U.S. objectives are achieved. He did not elaborate on what those objectives were.

The president has released two prerecorded video messages since the conflict began.