Summary

A top US general on Tuesday urged Iran that the country should consider diplomacy as American troops are deployed in the region and said that after an increase in America’s air superiority, B-52 bombers are flying over land, opening up targeting options. Chair of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said that 11,000 targets have been struck over the past 30 days in Iran and that more than 150 ships of Tehran have been successfully destroyed by US navy. Caine, during a press conference of Pentagon along with US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said, that another key objective of the war has been disabling Iran’s industrial base, including nuclear research sites. “This includes factories, warehouses, nuclear weapons research and development labs, and the associated infrastructure required for Iran to reconstitute its combat capability,” Caine said. He added that US military’s actions in Iran remains focused on “targeting their minelaying capability, their naval assets.” Caine told reporters that “the range of military options” which American forces can implement is “extensive,” and that adding troops to the Middle East region doesn’t necessarily just provides options for land operations. .@SECWAR “Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to visit our troops fighting in Operation Epic Fury.— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) March 31, 2026 We were on the ground in CENTCOM on Saturday for about half the day. For reasons of operational security—so those troops are not targeted—the places and bases will not be… pic.twitter.com/3zPJkx3bDJ “I wouldn’t want to take away the president’s decision space, but there are a multitude of things, not the least of which is, Iran should note, that they’re out there and that they are a pressure point, and so they should carefully consider, I think, at the diplomatic level…to consider what’s in front of them,” the US general added. Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said that the US military’s goal remains “to be unpredictable” when it comes to having American boots on ground in Iran. “You can’t fight and win a war if you tell your adversary what you are willing to do or what you are not willing to do – to include boots on the ground,” he said. Hegseth further added that “primary” focus of America has been to pursue a deal which will lead to end of war with Iran. “We’re working hand in hand, but the primary effort is a deal. We want that deal to be accomplished, if at all possible, if not, then we’re prepared to continue,” the defence secretary added.