War with Iran has ‘only just begun,’ Hegseth says

Top military officials said the campaign will intensify — and declined to say what victory might look like.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon on March 2, 2026, in Arlington, Virginia. | Alex Wong/Getty Images

Top Pentagon officials on Wednesday suggested that the Iran war could extend into a longer conflict — saying the fighting is “far from over” — even as they declined to explain what ultimate victory might look like.

The warnings from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine about an enduring conflict were the first from military officials, and they underscored President Donald Trump’s predictions over the past several days that the campaign could last for weeks.

And, in keeping with the president, neither Hegseth nor Caine outlined what an end to the conflict might look like, as the war entered its fifth day amid continued air assaults by Israeli and American forces and sporadic missile reprisals from Iran.

© Politico