Hegseth: Trump "chose mercy"

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared victory over Iran on Wednesday, saying the U.S. met its objectives and that President Trump "chose mercy" by backing down from his threat to wipe out Iran's "whole civilization."

"President Trump had the power to cripple Iran's entire economy in minutes," he said at a Pentagon briefing. "But he chose mercy. He spared those targets because Iran accepted the ceasefire under overwhelming pressure. The new Iranian regime understood that a deal was far better than the fate that awaited them."

The secretary said Iran agreed to a deal after running out of options and time, and that the regime has accepted it will never possess a nuclear weapon.

"They know this agreement means that they will never, ever possess a nuclear weapon," he said. "Right now, their dust is deeply buried and watched 24 over seven overhead."

"The president has been clear from the beginning," he continued. "There will be no Iranian nuclear weapons, period, full stop. Other presidents said it. President Trump did it. Operation Epic Fury, less than six weeks, clear mission, decisive action, overwhelming firepower, America first, a historic battlefield victory."

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