Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Wednesday morning that the US had won a decisive military victory over Iran and that Tehran's missile program had been functionally destroyed, Reuters reports.

Hegseth and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke to reporters a day after US President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening withdrew his threat of a full-scale attack on Iran. This came just two hours before a deadline set for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Hegseth noted that the Strait of Hormuz is now open and US forces will be nearby to ensure Iran respects the ceasefire.

For his part, Caine noted that US military objectives in Iran have been achieved, but the ceasefire is just a pause, and the US armed forces are as ready as ever to resume combat operations.