U. S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a Pentagon press briefing on March 2, 2026 (ET) and said the iranian military has been “destroyed” after two weeks of U. S. attacks; the announcement came as oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf were struck in recent days. Scenes in Tehran showed the country’s President and Foreign Minister at public rallies while Iran’s new Supreme Leader issued a message urging continued leverage over the Strait. The Pentagon said work is underway to keep commercial transit flowing despite the attacks.
Iranian Military losses and Pentagon claims
Pete Hegseth, U. S. Defense Secretary, told reporters at the Pentagon on March 2, 2026 (ET) that two weeks of U. S. attacks have “destroyed” Iran’s military and its air defenses, leaving them “combat ineffective. ” He said U. S. and allied bombing missions are destroying factories that make components for ballistic missiles and drones, and claimed the number of missiles and attack drones Iran has been using to retaliate has fallen by over 90% since the war began. Hegseth added that the chief effect has been to degrade Iran’s ability to wage conventional operations.
Shipping lanes and Tehran’s response
Despite those claims, Iran has carried out strikes on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf in recent days, actions the Pentagon says have bottled up a key transit route that carries roughly 20% of the world’s daily oil and liquefied natural gas shipments and pushed global prices upward. Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new Supreme Leader, said in a message read by a news anchor on state television that “The leverage of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must continue to be used. ” That statement was his first public message following the killing of his father in U. S. –Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28 (ET). U. S. officials have noted the new leader did not appear on camera; that absence has been interpreted within U. S. defense discussions as an indicator he may be hiding.
Immediate reactions from U. S. military leaders and Tehran
Hegseth characterized Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping as evidence of “sheer desperation, ” saying, “The only thing prohibiting transit in the Strait right now is Iran shooting at shipping. ” He also told reporters they “don’t need to worry about it, ” asserting the situation is being handled. Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the Pentagon on March 2, 2026 (ET) that the U. S. Navy is still studying how it may be able to provide armed escorts to ships passing through the Strait. In Tehran, public appearances by the President and the Foreign Minister at rallies signaled a continued domestic posture even as the new Supreme Leader called for keeping the Strait contested.
Hegseth further criticized press coverage of the conflict and suggested a private-sector executive should act if given control of a major broadcast network, a comment aimed at changing how some operations are portrayed in public discourse.
What’s next
Expect immediate focus on the Pentagon’s study of armed escorts and continued strikes against missile- and drone-component factories identified by U. S. planners. Watch for follow-up statements and operational details from U. S. military leadership and further public messaging from Tehran; each side’s actions will shape whether commercial traffic through the Strait can be secured. The iranian military’s condition as described at the Pentagon will remain a central claim to be tested by subsequent assessments and developments in the region.
