America’s highest-ranking general said Tuesday that while Iran’s military is resisting the joint US-Israel assault on the Islamic Republic, Tehran’s military is not a tougher challenge than Pentagon planners expected.
“I think they’re fighting, and I respect that, but I don’t think they’re more formidable than what we thought,” Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon when asked what Iran was doing militarily to challenge US forces.
At the same news conference, Caine touted the dismantling of Tehran’s military assets, including more than 50 naval vessels damaged or destroyed.
In all, the US military has struck more than 5,000 targets in the first 10 days of Operation Epic Freedom, according to Tampa, Fla.-based Central Command (CENTCOM).
Iran has heavily relied on missiles and drones to retaliate against the US and Israel, with most barrages intercepted before reaching their intended targets.
Tehran, however, has managed to land multiple attacks, including one that killed six US servicemembers stationed in Kuwait on the first day of the war.
Another Iranian strike killed an American soldier stationed at the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
Caine’s comments came shortly after War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US military would carry out its most intense day of strikes against Iran on Tuesday.
As part of the campaign, Caine said the US was hitting Iranian mine-laying vessels, with the Pentagon mulling its options if it were to take up the duty of escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
The critical trade route, which oversees the shipment of 20% of the world’s annual oil supply, has essentially been closed off as Iran attacks and threatens any vessel that tries to go through.
With Post Wires
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