WASHINGTON, March ⁠31 (Reuters) - The next few days ⁠in the Middle East conflict ‌will be decisive, U.S. DefenseSecretary Pete Hegseth told a briefing on Tuesday, saying there ​had been major desertions ⁠from the ⁠Iranian armed forces. "We have more and more ⁠options, ‌and they have less ... in only one month ⁠we set the terms, the upcoming ​days ‌will be decisive," Hegseth said. "Iran ⁠knows that, ​and there's almost nothing they can militarily do about it." Hegseth, citing ⁠intelligence, said the strikes ​were damaging the morale of the Iranian military. Hegseth also said he had ​visited troops in the ⁠Middle East on Saturday to ​witness the military operation ‌against Iran.

Source: The Star March 31, 2026 14:05 UTC