‘We Didn’t Start War, We’re Finishing It’: US Defence Chief’s Warning To Iran

Last Updated:March 02, 2026, 19:03 IST

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran has long waged a savage and one-sided war against America, and hailed Operation Epic Fury as retribution.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday said the “expansionist and Islamist" regime in Iran has waged a one-sided war against the United States for 47 years, warning that while America did not start the war, it will finish it.

Hegseth’s remarks came after the United States launched Operation Epic Fury, which included coordinated strikes with Israel on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials, and dealt heavy damage to the country’s ballistic missile facilities.

“Two days ago, under the direct orders of President Donald Trump, the Department of War launched Operation Epic Fury – the most lethal, complex and precise aerial operation in history," Hegseth said during a press briefing.

“For 47 long years, the expansionist and Islamist regime in Tehran has waged a savage, one-sided war against America. They didn’t always declare it openly, except for their constant chants of death to America. They did it through the blood of our people – car bombs in Beirut, rocket attacks on our ships, murders at our embassies and roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan – funded and armed by Iranian Kurds force and the IRGC," he added.

In a warning to Iran, the Defence Secretary said, “We did not start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it. Their war on Americans became our retribution against their Ayatollah and his death cult. It took the 47th President, a fighter who always puts America first, to finally draw the line after 47 years to Iran’s belligerence."

News world ‘We Didn’t Start War, We’re Finishing It’: US Defence Chief’s Warning To Iran

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