Members of the media raise hands to ask questions during a briefing held by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine (not pictured), amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 31, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The next days of the Iran war will be “decisive,” Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who revealed he had visited U.S. troops in the West Asia over the weekend, said on Tuesday (March 31, 2026).
“The upcoming days will be decisive. Iran knows that, and there’s almost nothing they can militarily do about it,” Mr. Hegseth told a news conference, his first in nearly two weeks.
The United States is well aware of what China and Russia are doing to help Iran and are confronting those efforts where necessary, Mr. Hegseth said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has been supplying Iran with drones and intelligence to help Tehran.
Asked about reports of Russia and China aiding Iran, Mr. Hegseth said: “As far as Russia and China, we know exactly what they’re doing, what they are or are not doing.
“We don’t have to air publicly what all of that is, but where necessary, we’re addressing it, we’re mitigating it or we’re confronting it head on.”
Mr. Hegseth, citing intelligence, said the strikes were damaging the morale of the Iranian military. This, he said, was triggering widespread desertions, key personnel shortages and causing frustration amongst senior leaders.
Mr. Hegseth also said he had visited troops in the West Asia on Saturday to witness the military operation against Iran.
Published – March 31, 2026 09:12 pm IST
