️ US military officials are claiming success in their campaign against the Iranian government, stressing that Washington is in the process of crushing Tehran “without mercy”. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth told reporters that the US military is loosening rules of engagement and operating with little restraint, despite reports of mounting casualties including hundreds of civilian deaths in Iran.
️ Hegseth stated that US jets over Iran are “controlling the skies, picking targets” and bringing “death and destruction from the sky, all day long”. He added, “This was never meant to be a fair fight, and it is not a fair fight. We are punching them while they’re down, which is exactly how it should be.”
️ Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Hegseth’s remarks represent an admission of war crimes and crimes against humanity. On social media platform X, he wrote, “Only a NAZI mentality can unleash, in cold blood, death & destruction on another nation just to ‘satisfy the desires’ of his boss.”
️ White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt later echoed similar language, stating that in the next few hours, the US would achieve air dominance, meaning “the United States military will be raining missiles and weapons down on Iran to hit these specific targets that have been identified as crucial to take out by the Department of War.” Iranian officials have reported many attacks by the US and Israel on civilian targets, including schools and hospitals.
️ Baghaei detailed a list of incidents he said were US-Israeli attacks on civilian sites, including residential buildings, street markets, and medical centers. Notably, in the early hours of the campaign on February 28, a strike hit a girls’ school in the southern city of Minab, killing 165 people. Leavitt said the Pentagon is “investigating” the incident but reaffirmed that US armed forces do not target civilians. According to a Pentagon graphic, at least two strikes occurred in or near Minab during the first 100 hours of the offensive.
️ The US and Israel have killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several top officials, and they continue to strike Iranian ships and military installations. However, the conflict, which quickly escalated into a regional war, shows no signs of subsiding. Iran has also been accused of launching missiles and drones at civilian targets in the Gulf region, including energy installations, hotels, and airports.
️ Despite thousands of US and Israeli strikes, the Iranian ruling structure remains standing, with no visible internal challenges emerging against the Islamic Republic system. Amid intensifying misery, destruction, and mass displacement across the Middle East, US President Donald Trump hailed the war effort, rating it as “about 15” on a scale of 10.
Source: www.aljazeera.com