Washington officials have declared the ongoing military offensive against Iran a success, asserting that US and Israeli forces are systematically dismantling the Tehran government “without mercy”.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth informed reporters on Wednesday that the American military has relaxed its rules of engagement, allowing for operations with minimal restraint even as civilian casualties mount, reports Al Jazeera.
He said Iranian leaders now face constant US and Israeli air power, adding that “Iran will be able to do nothing about it.”
Hegseth further described US jets as “controlling the skies, picking targets” and delivering “death and destruction from the sky, all day long”.
He dismissed the idea of a balanced conflict, stating, “This was never meant to be a fair fight, and it is not a fair fight,” and added, “We are punching them while they’re down, which is exactly how it should be.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei countered these claims, characterising Hegseth’s remarks as an admission of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“Only a NAZI mentality can unleash, in cold blood, death & destruction on another nation just to ‘satisfy the desires’ of his boss,” Baghaei wrote on X.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt mirrored this rhetoric later that day, saying the US military would be “raining missiles and weapons down on Iran” to strike targets identified by the Department of War.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials have accused the US and Israel of hitting civilian sites, such as schools and hospitals.
Baghaei provided a detailed list of such incidents, which included attacks on medical centres, street markets, and residential buildings.
A specific strike on a girls’ school in the southern city of Minab during the early hours of 28 February resulted in 165 deaths.
Leavitt confirmed the Pentagon is “investigating” the Minab incident but insisted, “I will reaffirm that the Department of War and the United States armed forces do not target civilians.”
Pentagon briefings included a map of attacks from the first 100 hours of the offensive, showing two strikes in the vicinity of Minab.
The campaign has successfully targeted Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior officials, alongside military installations and ships.
However, the situation has devolved into a regional war with no signs of ending, as Iran faces accusations of launching drone and missile strikes against energy installations, hotels, and airports in the Gulf.
Despite the thousands of strikes and widespread displacement, the Iranian ruling structure has not yet faced a visible internal challenge.
US President Donald Trump expressed support for the war effort on Wednesday, despite the escalating misery and destruction across the region.
