Hegseth tells Iranians to 'take advantage' of regime change

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(The Center Square) - The Trump administration on Wednesday encouraged civilians in Iran to rise up against the country's regime during a two-week ceasefire.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth told The Center Square during a news conference on Wednesday he encourages the Iranian people to "take advantage of this opportunity."

"They have been oppressed by the previous regime and they have a new opportunity with this regime that remains to be seen," Hegseth said. 

Hegseth said the objective of Operation Epic Fury was not intended to cause civilian uprising in Iran, but said he wished them the best. He said the new regime in Iran was more understanding of the United States' threats, which led to the current ceasefire. 

"The new regime was out of options and out of time, so they cut a deal," Hegseth said. "They know this agreement means that they will never, ever possess a nuclear weapon."

The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire after President Donald Trump threatened to destroy bridges and power plants throughout the country unless they agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Hegseth siad the United States would remain in the region to ensure safe passage of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz and called on allied nations to aid its efforts. 

"We'll stay put, stay vigilant," Hegseth said. "Our troops are prepared to defend, prepared to go on offense, prepared to restart at a moment's notice with whatever target package would be needed in order to comply." 

Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said the United States has "decimated" Iran's ability to harm Americans for "years to come." He said the U.S. struck more than 13,000 targets, destroyed 80% of Iran's air defense system and more than 2,000 command and control nodes. 

Hegseth also did not rule out extracting enriched uranium from Iran in the future. He referenced Operation Midnight Hammer, where the United States bombed Iran's uranimum enrichment facilities in June 2025. 

"We know what they have, and they will give it up, and we'll get it, and we'll take it if we have to, we can do it by any means necessary," Hegseth said.