President Donald Trump has confirmed the deaths of 48 Iranian leaders and senior figures, but a war slightly more than two days old has seen civilian casualties too, according to media reports.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), a non-governmental humanitarian organization responsible for providing relief, search and rescue, medical services, and disaster response across Iran, said Monday morning on the social media app Telegram that deaths have reached 555.
It did not distinguish between military and civilian.
“Following the Zionist-American terrorist attacks carried out in various regions of our country, 131 cities have been affected to date and, regrettably, 555 of our compatriots have been killed,” the group’s account showed.
It didn’t have to be this way, Hegseth said in a morning briefing at the Pentagon.
The Trump administration has – at least six times -- engaged Iran in direct talks trying to seek an end through diplomacy for a regime that has yelled “Death to America, Death to Israel” since coming to power.
More talks were scheduled for this week before the strikes began on Saturday morning.
The regime never budged, not even after U.S. bombings in Operation Midnight Hammer took three nuclear sites off line last summer.
“Operation Midnight Hammer obliterated their nuclear program to rubble. Afterward, we told them plainly, that's it, now make a deal. They arrogantly refused,” Hegseth said.
The regime was warned that if it refused diplomatic efforts, the U.S. response would be far worse than Midnight Hammer.
Now, Hegseth says Epic Fury has three clear objectives: destroy Iran’s existing offensive missiles, destroy missile production, destroy the Iranian navy and other security infrastructure.
“They will never have nuclear weapons. We’re hitting them surgically, overwhelmingly and unapologetically,” Hegseth said.
During the operation’s short life, U.S. capabilities have strengthened while Iran’s have weakened, Hegseth says.
The growing strength does not alter mission focus will not change under a president who repeatedly campaigned on not inserting America into “forever wars.”
In later remarks, Trump estimated the operation will last several weeks.
Trump was often critical of previous U.S. interventions calling the was in Iraq a “big, fat mistake” while pledging to avoid such entanglements.
“We set the terms of this war from start to finish. Our ambitions are not utopian. They are realistic, scoped to our interests and the defense of our people and our allies,” Hegseth said.
He called out media who have been critical of the operation.
“To the media outlets and political left screaming, ‘endless wars, stop.’ This is not Iraq. This is not endless. I was there for both (Iraq and Afghanistan). Our generation knows better and so does this president. He called the last 20 years of building wars dumb, and he's right,” Hegseth said.
Wars in Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003) were launched by President George W. Bush in response to terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on 9-11-2001.
Combat operations lasted eight years in Iraq, 13 years in Afghanistan.
The last U.S. troops were removed from Afghanistan in 2021 with Afghan civilians hanging onto the plane desperately trying to flee the coming Taliban rule.
While U.S. troops were safely withdrawn, thousands of Afghan allies and some American citizens were left behind, sparking ongoing criticism of the evacuation’s execution.
“This is the opposite. This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission,” Hegseth said.
He praised the Israeli involvement, too, calling them “capable partners.”
Operation Epic Fury will use U.S. B-2 fighter jets, drones, missiles and classified assets, Hegseth said.
He recognized four U.S. troops killed in the engagement so far, calling them “the absolute best of America. May we prosecute the remainder of this operation in a manner that honors them. No apologies, no hesitation, epic fury for them and the thousands of Americans before them, taken too soon by Iranian radicals.”
