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“As Secretary Hegseth, General Caine, and the President have all said, tonight will be our biggest bombing campaign, and we’ll do the most damage to the Iranian missile launchers and the factories that build the missiles.”
Bessent emphasized that U.S. forces have already made significant progress in weakening Iran’s military capacity. Strategic strikes carried out in recent days have targeted missile launch platforms, weapons production facilities, and drone infrastructure believed to support Iran’s regional military operations.
“We are substantially degrading them,” Bessent said. “Our campaign has been overwhelming.”
Military planners say the goal of the operation is not simply to strike Iran’s current weapons inventory but to permanently cripple the regime’s ability to rebuild its missile program. By targeting production facilities, manufacturing plants, and logistical hubs, U.S. forces aim to cut off Iran’s capacity to regenerate its offensive capabilities.
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The escalating campaign comes amid rising tensions across the Middle East, where Iranian-backed militias and missile programs have long posed a threat to American personnel and U.S. allies in the region.
U.S. Central Command, known as United States Central Command, has already confirmed that American forces have successfully struck two of Iran’s most significant drone “motherships,” a major blow to Tehran’s ability to deploy long-range unmanned attack systems.
In another major development, a U.S. fast-attack submarine reportedly destroyed a key Iranian naval asset in the Indian Ocean. The vessel believed to have carried out the strike is the USS Charlotte (SSN-766), which allegedly fired a Mark 48 torpedo that sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena.
If confirmed, the sinking of the warship would represent one of the most significant naval losses suffered by Iran during the current conflict.
While military pressure continues to mount, Bessent warned that Iranian leaders may attempt to retaliate through other means. According to the Treasury Secretary, Tehran could attempt to disrupt global financial systems or create instability in international markets as a response to battlefield setbacks.
“Having not been able to succeed there, they’re trying to create economic chaos,” Bessent explained. “And I don’t think they’re going to be able to do it.”
Bessent also pushed back strongly against critics in the media who have questioned the effectiveness or strategic rationale behind the U.S. operation. He argued that the campaign was carefully planned and that decision-makers in Washington fully anticipated the potential risks and consequences.
“There are a lot of headline writers and a lot of other networks that want to speak to the contrary,” Bessent said. “But we’ve considered all this. This is in the President’s calculus, and things are proceeding as planned.”
Defense officials say the strikes are part of a broader military strategy aimed at permanently weakening Iran’s ability to threaten American interests and allies throughout the region.
By focusing not only on missile stockpiles but also on the factories that produce them, U.S. military leaders hope to dismantle the core infrastructure supporting Tehran’s missile program.
If tonight’s operation unfolds as described by Bessent, it could mark the most decisive moment yet in the conflict, delivering what the Trump administration believes will be the heaviest blow so far to Iran’s military power.
