The US war against Iran has "completely" destroyed the country's ability to build missiles and other sophisticated weaponry, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday.
The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire the previous evening, pausing a nearly six-week US-Israeli military campaign against the Islamic republic.
"We finished completely destroying Iran's defense industrial base, a core pillar of our mission," Hegseth told reporters.
"They can no longer build missiles, build rockets, build launchers or build (drones) -- their factories have been razed to the ground, set back in historic fashion," he said.
"Had Iran refused our terms, the next targets would have been their power plants, their bridges and oil and energy infrastructure," Hegseth said, after President Donald Trump had threatened to wipe out civilization in the country if it did not agree to a deal.
General Dan Caine -- the top US military officer, who spoke alongside Hegseth -- provided details on the destruction of Iran's defense industry, which was not as total as Hegseth described.
Caine said around 90 percent of Iran's weapons factories, more than 80 percent of its missile facilities and nearly 80 percent of its nuclear industrial base had been hit.
"Every factory that produced Shahed one-way attack drones was struck," he said, referring to weapons Iran has repeatedly employed during the course of the conflict, and which it has also provided to Russia for use in Ukraine.
US forces hit more than 13,000 targets during the war, destroying 80 percent of Iran's air defenses as well as "more than 450 ballistic missile storage facilities" and "800 one-way attack drone storage facilities," said Caine.
And while a temporary ceasefire has been reached, the US military is prepared if it collapses, he added.
"Let us be clear, a ceasefire is a pause, and the joint force remains ready, if ordered or called upon," Caine said.
Hegseth warned that "we stand ready in the background to ensure that Iran upholds" the terms.
"We're going to make sure Iran complies with this ceasefire and then ultimately comes to the table and makes a deal," he said.
The Pentagon chief also said the United States is "watching" Iran's enriched uranium -- which Washington targeted in strikes last year -- and will take action if Tehran does not give it up.
"We know exactly what they have, and they know that, and they will either give it to us" or "we'll get it, we'll take it, we'll take it out," he said, raising the possibility of further US strikes.
