US objectives in Iran have not changed, Hegseth says

March 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that ​the United States' objectives in the ‌war against Iran have not changed since strikes started on February 28.

The United States has carried out ​strikes against 7,000 targets inside Iran so ​far, and hit more than 40 Iranian ⁠mine-laying vessels and 11 submarines, according to ​the Pentagon.

"Our objectives, given directly from our America-first ​president, remain exactly what they were on day one," Hegseth told reporters.

"These are not the media's objectives, not ​Iran's objectives, not new objectives. Our objectives - ​unchanged, on target and on plan," Hegseth added. He ‌spent ⁠several minutes in his opening statement criticizing the press.

Hegseth told reporters that the objectives remained to destroy Iran's missile launchers, as well as its defense ​industrial base ​and navy and ⁠to never allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon.

In the same briefing, ​General Dan Caine, the chairman of the ​Joint ⁠Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. military remained on track to achieve the objectives and ⁠the ​United States was striking deeper ​into Iranian territory every day.