TAMPA, Florida, March 5 (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday the United States was not expanding its military objectives in Iran, after President Donald Trump told Reuters that the United States must be involved in choosing the next leader of Iran.
The Pentagon earlier this week said the military campaign, known as Operation Epic Fury, is focused on destroying Iran’s offensive missiles, missile production and Navy, while not allowing Tehran to have a nuclear weapon.
“There’s no expansion in our objectives. We know exactly what we’re trying to achieve,” Hegseth said.
He added that Trump was “having a heck of a say in who runs Iran given the ongoing operation.”
In a telephone interview with Reuters on Thursday, Trump said the United States would have to help pick the next person to lead the country.
The United States has hit more than 2,000 targets in Iran over the past six days, including Iranian warships.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart in Tampa, Florida. Additional reporting by Idrees Ali, Kanishka Singh and Ismail Shakil; Editing by Michelle Nichols and Bill Berkrot)
