Hegseth claims 'historic and overwhelming victory' after Iran ceasefire

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday claimed "overwhelming victory" over Iran, hours after President Trump announced a 14-day ceasefire.

"Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield, a capital V military victory by any measure," Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing. "Epic fury decimated Iran's military and rendered it combat ineffective for years to come."

Hegseth also claimed Iran had begged for a deal due to Trump's threats to bomb the country "back to the Stone Ages."

"You see, had Iran refused our terms, the next targets would have been their power plants, their bridges and oil and energy infrastructure, targets they could not defend and could not realistically rebuild," he said. "They couldn't defend against it. President Trump had the power to cripple Iran's entire economy in minutes."

Hegseth's comments echo those of Trump's, who insisted Tuesday that the United States had won a "total and complete victory" against Iran after agreeing to the ceasefire deal with the country.