Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pledged that he and President Trump are committed to doing whatever is necessary to dismantle the Iranian government, even considering the deployment of U.S. ground forces in Tehran as part of Operation Epic Fury.
In an interview with Major Garrett on CBS News’s “60 Minutes,” Hegseth remarked, “We’re prepared to go as far as needed to achieve our goals.”
He emphasized the importance of keeping all options open, saying, “It would be shortsighted not to consider every possibility, whether that involves deploying troops on the ground or not.”
Last week, Trump indicated to The Post that sending American troops into Iran remains a possibility if the situation calls for it.
Hegseth also explained to Garrett that any decision to move U.S. forces to the Middle East, whether openly or secretly, would not be disclosed to the media.
He commented, “People question, ‘Will there be boots on the ground? How long will it take—four weeks, two weeks, six weeks? Will we proceed?’”
“President Trump knows – I know – you don’t tell the enemy, you don’t tell the press, you don’t tell anybody what your limits would be on an operation.”
Hegseth, echoing the president, also admitted casualties will surely mount as the conflict continues.
Seven US service members were killed in Iranian retaliatory drone strikes – six Army Reservists in Kuwait, and another who later died from wounds in Saudi Arabia.
“The president’s been right to say there will be casualties,” the secretary said in his interview.
“Things like this don’t happen without casualties. There will be more casualties … especially our generation knows what it’s like to see Americans come home in caskets. But that doesn’t weaken us one bit. It stiffens our spine and our resolve to say this is a fight we will finish.”
The six slain reservists – Nicole Amor, 39; Cody Khork, 35; Declan Coady, 20; Robert Marzan, 54; Jeffrey O’Brien, 45; and Noah Tietjens, 42 – were returned home Saturday during a solemn transfer ceremony.
The seventh service member, whose death was announced Sunday, has not been publicly identified.
The news came a day after NYPD Officer and decorated Army veteran Sorffly Davius died during a health crisis while deployed in Kuwait with the National Guard.
