‘We Have Only Just Begun to Fight’: Hegseth Says Iran War Has No Time Limit

“The only limits we have in this is President Trump’s desire to achieve specific effects on behalf of the American people,” the defense secretary said Wednesday.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, speak during a press briefing at the Pentagon, Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in Washington. Konstantin Toropin/AP

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that “America is winning” the war in Iran, though the operation is only just beginning.

“Metrics are shifting, settling, and more forces are arriving,” Hegseth said at a press conference Wednesday morning. “It’s very early, and as President Trump has said, we will take all the time we need to make sure that we succeed.”

Hegseth said that an exact time limit can’t be placed on the operation because, “The only limits we have in this is President Trump’s desire to achieve specific effects on behalf of the American people.”