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US has no end date for Iran war, strikes ‘very much on track’: Hegseth

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday there was no “time frame” for ending the US-Israeli war against Iran, which was launched three weeks ago.
“We…

By Samantha Johnson / March 19, 2026
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday there was no “time frame” for ending the US-Israeli war against Iran, which was launched three weeks ago.
“We wouldn’t want to set a definitive time frame,” Hegseth told a news conference, adding that “we’re very much on track” and that President Donald Trump would be the one to decide when to stop.

“It will be at the president’s choosing, ultimately, where we say, ‘Hey, we’ve achieved what we need to.’”

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American objectives in the war had not changed since strikes started on February 28, he said.

The US has carried out strikes against 7,000 targets inside Iran, and hit more than 40 Iranian minelaying vessels and 11 submarines.
A volunteer salvages belongings from a house damaged in a strike in Tehran on Wednesday. Photo: WANA/Reuters
A volunteer salvages belongings from a house damaged in a strike in Tehran on Wednesday. Photo: WANA/Reuters

“Our objectives, given directly from our America-first president, remain exactly what they were on day one,” Hegseth told reporters.

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