The United States military is prepared to resume attacks on Iran if ordered by President Donald Trump, the country’s top general said, describing a two-week ceasefire as a temporary pause following what he called the successful achievement of US war objectives.
Speaking alongside US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine told reporters that American forces remain on high alert despite the halt in fighting, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.
“Let us be clear, a ceasefire is a pause, and the joint force remains ready, if ordered or called upon,” Caine said.
He added that US troops “remain ready if ordered or called upon to resume combat operations, with the same speed and precision we've demonstrated over the last 38 days, and we hope that's not the case.”
Caine said President Donald Trump’s military objectives had been achieved and welcomed the ceasefire, while thanking the American public for its support. He said the US military had struck more than 13,000 targets since the war began on February 28 .
According to Caine, approximately 90% of Iran’s navy fleet has been destroyed, including all major surface combatants, with around 150 ships sunk. He said half of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy’s small attack boats were also at the bottom of the ocean. More than 95% of Iran’s naval mines were destroyed through over 700 strikes on mine-related targets.
The US intercepted 1,700 ballistic missiles and one-way attack drones during the conflict, he said, defending American forces, regional partners and civilian populations.
Caine said the Joint Force flew more than 10,000 missions, including 62 bomber missions. Eighteen of those were round-trip flights from the United States lasting more than 30 hours each.
“No other military in the world can do that,” he claimed.
He further stated that roughly 90% of Iran’s weapons factories were attacked. Every facility producing Shahed one-way attack drones and their guidance systems was struck, he said. More than 80% of Iran’s missile facilities and its solid rocket motor production capability were destroyed.
Nearly 80% of Iran’s nuclear industrial base was hit, Caine added, saying this had significantly degraded Tehran’s ability to pursue a nuclear weapon.
US Central Command forces destroyed around 80% of Iran’s air defence systems, striking more than 1,500 air defence targets, over 450 ballistic missile storage facilities and 800 drone storage facilities, he said. More than 2,000 command-and-control nodes were also destroyed, severely disrupting Iran’s military coordination and logistics.
“All of these systems are gone. We have devastated Iran’s command and control and logistical networks,” Caine said.
He also thanked Washington’s Gulf partners — the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan — for fighting alongside US forces and said they stand ready to act again if required.
By Sabina Mammadli
