Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine are holding a briefing for reporters Thursday on the latest developments in the Iran war, their first since Israel carried out strikes killing Iran’s top security chief Ali Larijani and Esmail Khatib, its intelligence minister.
Hegseth insisted at the top of the news conference that Operation Epic Fury, the administration’s name for the ongoing mission in Iran, is not a “endless abyss or a forever war or quagmire.”
“Hear it from me, one of hundreds of thousands who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, who watched previous foolish politicians like Bush, Obama and Biden squander credibility,” Hegseth said. “This is not those wars.”
Israel on Wednesday struck Qatar’s Ras Laffan, the world’s largest liquefied natural gas terminal, and Iran’s South Pars gas field, which is shared with Qatar. Reuters reported Thursday that U.S. crude futures rose above $97 per barrel, while natural gas was up 3% and Brent crude futures rose to $111.87 a barrel, up 4% on the day.
President Trump said in a social media post overnight that the U.S. “knew nothing about” Israel’s decision to “violently” attack the South Pars gas field. Mr. Trump continued that there will be “NO MORE ATTACKS” by Israel on South Pars, unless Iran attacks Qatar. In that case, the U.S. will “massively blow up” all of South Pars, Mr. Trump said.
Despite U.S. and Israeli strikes against senior Iranian leaders, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said at a Senate hearing Wednesday the regime “appears to be intact,” although “largely degraded.”
Mr. Trump suggested Wednesday that other countries should “be responsible” for the Strait of Hormuz, after some nations rejected his demands that they help reopen the waterway. The strait has effectively been closed to the U.S. and its allies, causing higher oil prices — and higher gas prices at the pump. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said allies were discussing the “best way” to reopen the waterway, and U.K. military planners are working with the U.S. to develop some options.
Meanwhile, the FBI is investigating former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent in connection with alleged leaks of classified information, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter told CBS News. Kent resigned earlier this week over the Trump administration’s handling of the war with Iran. The probe began before Kent resigned, sources told CBS News.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hegseth-caine-iran-war-update-briefing-2026-03-19/
