SecDef and CJCS News Conference (Mar 2, 2026). Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Craine held a press conference (Reuters, YouTube, 39 mins) at the Pentagon with regard to the U.S. military operation in Iran. Hegseth laid out some of the goals, among them:
“No stupid rules of engagement, no nation-building quagmire” and “The mission of Operation Epic Fury is laser-focused. Destroy Iranian offensive missiles, destroy Iranian missile production, destroy their navy and other security infrastructure, and they will never have nuclear weapons.”
General Caine said that U.S. Cyber Command and U.S. Space Command initiated action with non-kinetic effects to disable Iran’s communications ability. And then, at 1:15 a.m. EST, 9:45 a.m. Tehran time, Epic Fury kicked off. Caine went on to say:
“More than 100 aircraft launched from land and sea: fighters, tankers, airborne early warning, electronic attack, bombers from the states and unmanned platforms forming a single synchronized wave. This was a daylight strike based on a trigger event conducted by the Israeli Defense Forces, enabled by the U.S. intelligence community.”
Trump’s March 2, 2026 Speech. President Trump outlined the core goals of the U.S. war on Iran:
- Destroy Iran’s navy
- Destroy Iran’s missile capabilities
- Ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon
- Limit Iran’s external proxies
Qatar Shoots Down Iranian Aircraft. The MoD reported that it downed two Su-24 jets coming from Iran on Monday, March 2, 2026. They were approaching Qatari airspace from the direction of the Persian Gulf.
How the Attack Took Place. “Hegseth Says ‘Epic Fury’ Goals in Iran are ‘Laser-Focused'”, Pentagon News, March 2, 2026.
U.S. Casualties. As of March 2, six U.S. service members have been killed in action. Most press accounts say that they were killed during an incident in Kuwait by an incoming missile or drone from Iran. A total of 18 troops were wounded.
‘Regime Change’? Not so Much. The Department of Defense and the administration has shifted the conversation on the goals of Operation Epic Fury. No longer used are terms that would indicate regime change is one of the goals of the attack on Iran.
