US General Dan Caine said on Tuesday that while Iran was fighting, it was not more formidable than Washington had expected, as the United States geared up for the most intense day of strikes against Iran in the war so far.
The top US general, who serves as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that the US was carrying out strikes against Iranian mine-laying vessels and the Pentagon would look at a range of options if it was tasked with escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
The war has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global oil and liquefied natural gas transport, leaving tankers unable to sail for more than a week and forcing producers to halt pumping as storage fills.
"I think they're fighting, and I respect that, but I don't think they're more formidable than what we thought," Caine said.
US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to escalate the war with Iran if it blocked oil shipments from the Middle East, even as he predicted a quick end to the conflict.
The US military continues to focus on three military objectives, namely destroying Iran's ballistic missile and drone capabilities, striking the Iranian Navy and its capabilitiies to sustain movement through the Strait of Hormuz, and to operate deeper into Iran's military and industrial bases to prevent Tehran from being able to attack Americans, US interests, and US allies for years to come, Caine said.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) is continuing to make progress along Iran's "southern flank," having struck over 5,000 targets, with Strategic Command dropping dozens of 2,000lb. GPS penetrating weapons on deeply buried missile launchers in southern Iran, Caine added.
The US has also struck several one-way drone factories, and continues to intercept Iranian drones and missiles that have been launched, he continued.
The US's strikes have heavily reduced Iran's ability to launch missiles and drones, Caine stated, saying that ballistic missile attacks are down 90% from where they started and drone launches down 83%.
The US has also sunk over 50 Iranian naval vessels during the campaign using artillery, fighters, bombers, and sea-launched missiles, Caine noted.
Trump: War against Iran 'very much complete'
The president had asserted that the war against Iran was "very far ahead of schedule" and that the military campaign was "very much complete" as the Islamic Republic's armed forces had been defanged by US and Israeli action.
"If you look, they have nothing left. There's nothing left in a military sense," Trump said.
During the press conference at the Pentagon, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States would carry out the most intense day of strikes against Iran on Tuesday.
Hegseth reiterated that this would not be an endless war and said Trump would decide when the US campaign would end.