Washington: The United States on Tuesday said that its ongoing military campaign against Iran is eroding the country’s armed forces, citing intelligence assessments of declining morale, desertions and shortages among key personnel.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at a Pentagon news conference that the US strikes are increasingly affecting Iranian military cohesion and command structures.
“The latest intel is clear… strikes are damaging the morale of the Iranian military, leading to widespread desertions, key personnel shortages and causing frustrations amongst senior leaders,” Hegseth said in response to a question.
He added that US forces have destroyed key command bunkers, forcing Iranian leaders to operate under constrained conditions.
“We recently destroyed another one of their command bunkers… no water, no power, no oxygen, no command and control,” he said.
Officials also pointed to a decline in Iranian missile and drone attacks, describing the past 24 hours as seeing the “lowest number” since the conflict began.
At the operational level, the Pentagon said US forces have struck more than 11,000 targets in the past month, focusing on missile systems, naval assets and defence infrastructure.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said the campaign is aimed at systematically degrading Iran’s ability to project power beyond its borders.
“We continue to deliver precision strikes… against key manufacturing nodes, component storage sites, research facilities,” he said.
US officials said the combination of sustained strikes and pressure on supply chains is limiting Iran’s ability to replenish its military capabilities.
The Pentagon indicated that targeting Iran’s defence industrial base would have long-term effects, reducing its ability to rebuild weapons systems over time.
The conflict reflects a broader effort by Washington to weaken Iran’s military posture while pushing Tehran towards negotiations over its nuclear and missile programmes.
(IANS)
