US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, speaking alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine at a Pentagon press conference, claimed that Iran “begged” for a ceasefire, describing “Operation Epic Fury as a historic success."

Iran ceasefire offers a "chance at real peace," Hegseth said as he claimed victory after the US war against Iran allegedly achieved all of its objectives. He further claimed that in less than 40 days and with only 10 percent of US combat power, the United States had dismantled “one of the world’s most largest militaries.”

Hegseth claimed that Iran was unable to defend itself and insisted that the joint US-Israeli war against Tehran was completed “on plan, on schedule,” further alleging that Iran’s navy was “at the bottom of the sea,” its air defense system no longer existed, and its missile program had been functionally destroyed. Furthermore, he said that Iran’s defense-industrial base had been completely eliminated, alleging the country could no longer produce missiles.

Ceasefire ‘only a pause': Caine

Hegseth reiterated that every objective of the mission had been met, again emphasizing the destruction of Iran’s military capabilities and infrastructure. He also claimed Iran’s leadership understood that entering a deal was preferable to facing further consequences, saying that senior Iranian officials had been killed in the attacks. According to him, the leadership was “out of options and out of time” and agreed to a deal that guarantees Iran “will never, ever possess a nuclear weapon.”

On his part, General Dan Caine said the ceasefire should be viewed only as a temporary pause, adding that US forces remain fully prepared to resume combat operations if ordered. He also stated that US forces struck more than 13,000 targets inside Iran, claiming that 80 percent of Iran’s air defense systems, more than 90 percent of its conventional naval fleet, and 90 percent of its weapons factories were destroyed and that it would take Iran years to rebuild its military capabilities.

Iran ceasefire ‘fragile’, Trump ‘impatient’ on deal progress: Vance

On his part, US Vice President JD Vance described the situation with Iran as a “fragile truce", saying Washington expects Tehran to negotiate in “good faith” in order to reach a longer-term agreement. Speaking in Budapest, he warned that US President Donald Trump was “not one to mess around” and emphasized that he was “impatient to make progress” following the temporary two-week truce agreed between Washington and Tehran, which came ahead of Trump’s deadline for a deal or the threat of “obliteration".

Vance said that if Iran is willing to engage constructively, “I think we can make an agreement,” but cautioned that failure to come to the negotiating table would lead to consequences. He added, “They’re going to find out that the President of the United States is not one to mess around,” stressing that Trump has “extraordinary economic leverage” alongside military and diplomatic tools. He further claimed that if Iran “is going to lie” or “cheat", or attempts to disrupt the fragile truce, “they’re not going to be happy.”

He also noted that Tehran has warned that the war is not over until formal terms are finalized, while Vance insisted that US leverage remains strong. His comments came during a visit to Budapest, where he began a trip on Tuesday to support Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is facing a major political challenge in the upcoming parliamentary elections.