The United States has used a pause in fighting to expand intelligence on Iran, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned, and officials say that if strikes resume they would be even more precise and damaging than those at the start of Operation Epic Fury; President Trump has signaled Kharg Island and Iranian oil infrastructure could be targeted as tensions rise following an incident involving an Iranian drone and an American Apache helicopter.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the ceasefire with Iran has been anything but idle, giving U.S. forces time to map people, networks, and key facilities across the regime. He told reporters the pause allowed commanders to refine targeting and build an even sharper intelligence picture than at the opening of Operation Epic Fury. That preparation, he said, improves the odds of rapid, decisive results if combat operations resume.
A reporter pressed Hegseth on targeting certainty. “So, in the event that the Iranians don’t come to the table and they keep playing games and they refuse to make a deal, how certain are you on our targeting ability to immediately find and finish off and execute every remaining senior leader within the Islamic Republic of Iran, in IRGC?”
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“Well, let’s just say this command has used the ceasefire wisely and with great efficiency to ensure that we’re refining our intelligence and target sets in a way that are far, far beyond even the beginning of Epic Fury,” the Secretary of War said. “And that’s a part of what I had a chance to see today. So, when you see the commencement of Epic Fury, if a conflict were to have to recommence, our ability to target, our ability to sense, our ability to see, our ability to get into networks has only been vastly improved over time. And that’s certainly what the commanders relate to me.”
“So, the historic success of Epic Fury would only be built upon, whether it’s personnel, locations, capabilities, you name it,” Hegseth added. “And again, remember, Iran doesn’t have a defense industrial base. And what they have is extremely limited, meaning they don’t have the ability right now to make more missiles or make more drones.”
“What they have is what they have. And if they’ve dug it out, we’ll strike it again if we need to. So, we know the terms and we’ve got always more capability to bring,” Hegseth said, stressing that the United States can and will press advantages created by superior sensing and network access. His point was blunt: Iran’s capacity to regenerate key weapons is limited, and U.S. forces have been cataloging what remains.
Officials say that cataloging covers personnel and physical sites alike, which makes strikes more surgically effective and lethal if ordered. That level of detail matters because it reduces the fog of war and speeds decision cycles at the point of command. The Secretary framed the intelligence gains as a deterrent and as a practical insurance policy should diplomacy fail.
The situation hardened further when President Trump signaled in public comments that options were on the table to hit Iran’s oil-export lifelines. He wrote, “The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT,” and later added, “At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Kharg Island funnels a massive share of Iran’s crude exports, making it a powerful lever if the United States chose to focus on energy chokepoints. U.S. officials have reportedly left many facilities intact while trying to negotiate, but that restraint may be conditional and temporary. If negotiations collapse, targeting infrastructure could be a deliberate strategy to force Iran to the table or to choke off resources the regime needs.
Tensions escalated after a reported downing of an American Apache helicopter by an Iranian drone over the Strait of Hormuz, an incident that marked a dangerous step up even during ceasefire talks. Both pilots were safely rescued, but the episode added urgency to Washington’s planning and public rhetoric. The administration says such acts will be met with serious consequences.
From a Republican perspective, the message is simple and forceful: America is using every available hour to prepare, and that preparation multiplies leverage. Secretary Hegseth framed U.S. moves as methodical, not reckless, and emphasized that advanced intelligence improves options rather than narrows them. That posture is intended to deter further Iranian provocations while keeping the option of decisive action squarely in view.
