U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke at a briefing on Tuesday, stating that the United States is closely monitoring the actions of China and Russia in their support of Iran. He emphasized that the U.S. is taking steps to counter these efforts when needed. Hegseth mentioned that the next few days in the Middle East conflict would be crucial, highlighting significant desertions from the Iranian military. When asked about the assistance from Russia and China to Iran, he responded, "We are fully aware of their actions and inactions. We don’t need to disclose everything publicly, but we are addressing it as necessary, whether that means mitigating or confronting it directly." He pointed out that intelligence reports show that military strikes are hurting the morale of Iran's armed forces. This decline in morale is leading to widespread desertions, shortages of important personnel, and frustration among senior officials. "We have more options now, while they have fewer. In just one month, we have set the terms, and the coming days will be critical," he added. "Iran understands this, and there is almost nothing they can do militarily to change it." Hegseth also shared that he visited troops in the Middle East on Saturday to observe the military operations against Iran.
