“Iran is finished and it knows it.” The United States and Israel have begun the second phase of the attack against Iran. The larger wave announced by Donald Trump is taking shape on the fifth day of the offensive: Tehran’s defenses are being swept away, and missiles launched by the Islamic Republic are decreasing. “America is winning decisively, devastatingly and without mercy,” says Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, summarizing about 100 hours of operations. “The mission is not accomplished: it began only a few days ago and the results have been incredible, historic. As the president said, we will continue as long as necessary. Our adversaries are finished and they know it. Or, if not, they will find out soon,” the Pentagon chief adds, outlining the scenario expected to unfold shortly.
“Within a few days we will have complete control of Iranian airspace. That means we will fly day and night striking missiles and bases. Leaders will look up and see only American and Israeli aircraft. And Iran will be unable to do anything about it: death and destruction will come from the sky throughout the day. This is not a balanced fight, it never was and it was not expected to be: we are striking while they are down, and that is how it should be,” Hegseth says.
“This operation has a firepower seven times greater than Israel’s 12-day war in June 2025 and the toughest attacks are yet to come,” he says, outlining the broad contours of ‘phase 2’. “We will use 500, 1,000, or 2,000-pound bombs (225, 450 and 900 kilograms), we have unlimited availability of these munitions,” he adds, also denying reports of problematic management of defense systems that Democrats have claimed were ‘drained’ by Trump’s foreign policy.
Pentagon denies munitions shortage
“Patriot availability remains substantial, while Iran can no longer launch the number of missiles seen in recent days. We can continue this war at this pace for as long as necessary. The only limit is President Trump’s desire to reach specific objectives,” Hegseth says, attempting to defuse alarm. According to the Washington Post, however, the issue of equipment levels remains sensitive: it may be necessary to move defensive systems from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East. The White House presents a different scenario: “The United States has more than enough capacity not only to conduct Operation Epic Fury successfully but also to go well beyond. We possess weapons that many around the world are unaware of,” says spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.
Tehran is running out of missiles
Adding to the picture is General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: “Ballistic missile launches by Iran have decreased by 86% since the start of the conflict and by 23% in the last 24 hours. Drone launches have fallen by 73% since day one.” In essence, it is believed that Tehran expended much of its arsenal in the initial phase of the conflict, adopting a strategy of launches aimed at all Gulf states. Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia protected themselves using systems operated autonomously, without direct U.S. collaboration. “Now we will begin striking deep into Iranian territory. We have sufficient precision munitions for offensive and defensive operations; I do not want to discuss quantities. Iran has launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones, indiscriminately hitting even civilian targets,” Caine adds.
From Tehran there are daily proclamations about the imminent use of “new weapons.” For the United States these are unfounded propaganda. Tehran’s war machine is in pieces: “They have no air defenses, no ships, no control centers,” Hegseth says. However, this does not mean vigilance can be relaxed.
Iran will still be able to launch missiles and drones, and its proxies may try to strike civilians: we will find them and kill them. The gap between their ability to strike and our ability to defend is growing. We set the terms of this war,” the secretary states before announcing a ‘historic’ result.
U.S. submarine sinks Iranian ship
“A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian ship that believed it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was struck by a torpedo. It is the first sinking of an enemy ship by torpedo since World War II.” Sri Lanka’s foreign minister, Vijitha Herath, reports that the vessel-formally named IRIS Dena-had 180 people on board and was about 40 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s southeastern coast. Rescue efforts saved approximately 30 sailors. Recovered bodies are reported to be around 90.
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