Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday that the Trump administration is prepared to pursue whatever options it deems necessary to confront Iran’s theocratic regime, including the possibility of sending American troops into the country if circumstances demand it.
Speaking during an interview on 60 Minutes, Hegseth made clear that the administration intends to keep its military options open as Operation Epic Fury continues to unfold across the region.
“We reserve the right,” Hegseth said. “We would be completely unwise if we did not reserve the right to take any particular option, whether it included boots on the ground or no boots on the ground.”
The remarks came during a conversation with correspondent Major Garrett, who pressed the defense secretary about whether U.S. forces were already operating inside Iran. Hegseth said there were currently no “overt or covert forces” active in the country.
At the same time, he suggested that any operational details would not necessarily be shared publicly. When Garrett asked about the possibility of covert activity, Hegseth responded cautiously.
“Uh, I wouldn’t tell you that if we did,” he said with a smirk.
The secretary also addressed questions surrounding the duration and scope of Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing military campaign targeting Iran. Reporters and analysts have been pressing the administration for clarity about how long the operation could last and whether it might escalate further.
Hegseth said it would be a mistake to publicly outline the administration’s strategy or reveal the limits of its plans.
“People ask ‘Boots on the ground, no boots on the ground? Four weeks, two weeks, six weeks? Go in, go in,’” he said. “President Trump knows — I know — you don’t tell the enemy, you don’t tell the press, you don’t tell anybody what your limits would be on an operation.”
While declining to provide a timeline, Hegseth said the ultimate objective remains focused on dismantling Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The administration, he said, is determined to ensure that those ambitions are eliminated.
“We’re willing to go as far as we need to in order to be successful,” Hegseth added.
Yet even as officials speak in terms of strategy and resolve, the conflict continues to carry a human toll. Garrett noted during the interview that a seventh U.S. soldier had died Sunday from injuries sustained during the fighting in the Middle East.
Hegseth acknowledged the loss and said the fallen Americans had not died in vain.
“Things like this don’t happen without casualties. There will be more casualties,” he said.
He added that many Americans are familiar with the painful reality of war.
“Especially our generation knows what it’s like to see Americans come home in caskets,” Hegseth said.
Despite the losses, he argued that such sacrifices strengthen the country’s determination to see the mission through.
“But that doesn’t weaken us one bit,” he continued. “It stiffens our spine and our resolve to say this is a fight we will finish.”
The secretary also addressed a separate and deeply troubling incident connected to the conflict: a strike that killed approximately 160 people at a school. Hegseth said the U.S. military is still investigating whether American or Iranian forces were responsible for that attack.
The investigation remains ongoing.
As Operation Epic Fury continues, the administration’s message is one of determination. But the interview also served as a reminder that military campaigns — even those aimed at strategic objectives — often unfold with uncertainty, unanswered questions, and a cost measured not only in battlefield gains but in human lives.
