U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said at a press conference Wednesday that Iran is “toast,” that the United States will rain down “death and destruction” on Iran and that the U.S. has a nearly unlimited stockpile of munitions, dismissing concerns about stockpile depletion ahead of a potential conflict with any other of the U.S.’ geopolitical enemies.

While the U.S. “can’t stop everything” Tehran throws its way, it can continue the war “as long as we need to,” he said, leaving open the possibility that more American casualties could be expected.

Iran is “toast, and they know it,” he added. “Or at least, soon enough, they will know it.” He said that the U.S. has “only just begun,” with far bigger waves of strikes expected that will establish “uncontested airspace” in the coming week.

“We will fly all day, all night, day and night, finding, fixing and finishing the missiles and defense-industrial base of the Iranian military. Finding and fixing their leaders, and their military leaders,” he explained.

“Every minute of every day until we decide that it’s over,” Iranian leaders will gaze skyward, only to see the might of the U.S. and Israeli air forces, he said.

“Iran will be able to do nothing about it,” he crowed. “Death and destruction from the sky. All day long.” U.S. pilots “have maximum authorities granted personally by the president and yours truly,” and the laws of war “are designed to unleash American power, not shackle it.”

“This was never meant to be a fair fight, and it is not a fair fight,” he asserted. “We are punching them when they’re down, which is exactly how it should be.”

He said that this campaign, compared to the U.S. operation against Iran in June, is sevenfold more intense. “More and larger waves are coming; we are just getting started,” he said. “We are accelerated.”

Addressing the concern of running out of ammunition, he said, “We can sustain this fight easily, for as long as we need to. Our air defenses and that of our allies have plenty of runway. We will take all the time we need to make sure we succeed.”

“Iran’s senior leaders are dead,” he added. “The so-called governing council that might have selected a successor are dead, missing, or cowering in bunkers, too terrified to even occupy the same room.”

“The Iranian air force is no more,” he said. “The Iranian navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf. We’ve taken control of Iran’s airspace and waterways without boots on the ground.”

“We control their fate,” he said.