BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 4. Iran's airspace will
soon be completely controlled, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete
Hegseth said at a press conference, Trend reports.


According to him, U.S. and Israeli forces are expected to gain
complete control over Iranian airspace within a few days.


According to him, American and Israeli forces are expected to
gain complete control over Iranian airspace within a few days.


The Pentagon chief also stated that the U.S. has deployed
additional forces to the Middle East in connection with the
conflict with Iran. Responding to a question about when the
operations will end, he replied, “It's too early to say for sure.
Meanwhile, President Trump also stated that we will spend as much
time as necessary to achieve our goals.”


Following the 2nd round of nuclear talks between Washington and
Tehran on February 17, which ended without progress, the U.S.
increased its presence in areas near Iran, deploying over 150
aircraft to bases in Europe and the Middle East.







The escalation follows the 3rd round of nuclear talks between
Iran and the United States in Geneva on February 26. Held under the
administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, the negotiations
were viewed as the final chance to strike a deal diplomatically.
However, no agreements were reached, as Tehran refused to halt
uranium enrichment, dismantle its nuclear facilities, or accept
indefinite restrictions on its nuclear program. Israel launched its
airstrikes shortly afterward, with the country's Defense Minister
Katz emphasizing that the operations were preemptive.



In a significant escalation, military airstrikes conducted by
Israel and the United States the previous day have reportedly
resulted in the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei
and several members of his family.


Additionally, several of Iran’s most senior military and
security officials were killed in the airstrikes, including Chief
of Staff Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Pakpour, Supreme
Leader adviser and Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, and
Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh.