US Secretary of War pete hegseth Iran “begged for a ceasefire” after Operation Epic Fury “destroyed their forces and rendered their war ineffective,” it claimed on Wednesday.Addressing a press conference, Hegseth credited US President Donald Trump for shaping the moment. “…President Trump fabricated this moment. Iran begged for this ceasefire, and we all know it...Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield…” he said.He described the operation as a major strategic success, saying, “Operation Epic Fury destroyed Iran’s military and rendered it combat-ineffective for years to come.”The Pentagon chief also issued a stern warning over Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, saying the US will ensure it is secured, by force if necessary. Although he did not elaborate on how this would be achieved, he indicated that Washington was monitoring the situation closely.Hegseth said, “We’re looking at it. We know what they have, and they’ll give it up, and we’ll get it, and we’ll take it. If we have to, we can do it any way we can.” He said, “They’ll willingly give it to us, we’ll take it, we’ll take it, we’ll figure it out, or if we have to do something else ourselves, like we did with Midnight Hammer or something like that, we reserve that opportunity.”Hegseth’s comments signal a continuing tough stance by Washington, with the US keeping the option of additional strikes if its demands are not met.The Pentagon chief’s comments come after Trump, who previously warned of destroying Iran’s “entire civilization”, changed his stance and announced a ceasefire with Tehran, calling it a “complete and total victory” after the 38-day Operation Epic Fury.However, Tehran presented a contrary story. The Islamic Republic, led by Mojtaba Khamenei, also claimed victory and cited Washington’s acceptance of its 10-point proposal as evidence of both battlefield and diplomatic success.