Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Tuesday would mark the “most intense” day of strikes against Iran since the launch of the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation. 

“Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran: the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes, intelligence, more refined, and better than ever,” Hegseth said during a press briefing Tuesday morning. “On the other hand, the last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest number of missiles they’ve been capable of firing yet.”

During the same briefing, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said more than 5,000 Iranian targets have been struck since the operation began. He also said that Air Force bombers had dropped dozens of 2,000-pound GPS-guided penetrating weapons on deeply buried missile launchers in recent days. 

“On day 10 of Operation Epic Fury, we are winning with an overwhelming and unrelenting focus on our objectives,” Hegseth said. “No hesitation, no half measures. As President Trump declared yesterday, we’re crushing the enemy in an overwhelming display of technical skill and military force. We will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated.”

Hegseth also defended the U.S. military’s record on minimizing civilian casualties. 

“No nation takes more precautions to ensure there is never targeting of civilians than the U.S.,” he said. “From the boat strikes in the Caribbean to this campaign here, no nation in the history of warfare has ever attempted in every way possible to avoid civilian casualties.”

Hegseth added that the U.S. military investigates any incidents where questions arise.

“It’s a point that isn’t appreciated enough,” he said. “Where things happen that need to be investigated, we’ll investigate.”

Those comments came after the Pentagon said it was investigating reports that an Iranian girls’ school had been struck during the operation. 

During the briefing, Caine and Hegseth outlined the three primary objectives of the campaign. First, Caine said the goal was to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile and drone capabilities to prevent attacks on U.S. forces and regional partners.

“That means attacking launch sites, command and control nodes, and stockpiles before they can threaten our personnel, our facilities, and our partners,” he said.

Second, Caine said the U.S. military is targeting Iran’s naval forces while protecting shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz. 

The third goal, Caine said, is targeting Iran’s military and industrial base, including weapons production facilities, research sites, and related infrastructure.