WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that, a month into the war, Iran still has the ability to launch offensive missiles, despite ongoing U.S. and Israeli efforts to weaken Tehran's military capabilities and weapon programs.

"Yes, they will shoot some missiles, but we will shoot them down," Hegseth told reporters at a Pentagon briefing, acknowledging the remaining threat.

The comment, made during the first public briefing on the conflict in nearly two weeks, underscored that despite weeks of intensive U.S. military operations and repeated assertions by President Donald Trump that Iran's military has been "obliterated," the threats posed by Iran's forces have not been fully eliminated.

Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the briefing that the U.S. military remains focused on "interdicting and destroying" Iran's weapon warehouses and building facilities.

"We've continued to do the work against Iran's missile, drone and naval production facilities," Caine said.

While air and naval strikes have been the primary focus so far, U.S. officials have not ruled out the possibility of ground operations as thousands of American soldiers and Marines have begun arriving in the Middle East.

Hegseth said it is up to Trump to determine whether ground operations in Iran will become the next phase in the conflict, which the president has said he is open to ending through diplomatic talks.

Trump repeated over the weekend that Iran is "begging to make a deal" to end the war, but on Monday, the president threatened to target Iran's power-generating plans and oil wells and even desalination plants if a "deal is not shortly reached."

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that the administration will "operate within the confines of the law," when asked about Trump's threat to target infrastructure that would potentially harm civilians.

Caine told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. would only "strike lawful targets" when asked about the considerations the American military would give to civilian targets.

"We are always thinking about those considerations and developing options to be able to mitigate those risks," Caine said.

Since the start of the war, Iranian officials have condemned a series of U.S. military attacks that have impacted schools, including a Feb. 28 strike that hit an elementary school and killed at least 175 people, many of them children.

As Trump issues a new wave of threats on key infrastructure, he has at the same time touted ongoing diplomatic talks with Iran and reportedly told aides he's willing to end the war without resolving Iran's de facto blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil route, that has rattled global energy markets.

Hegseth, for example, said those diplomatic talks are "very real," but stressed that the the military pressure will continue alongside those negotiations and that ground operations remain an option.

"Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we can come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are," Hegseth said. "If we needed to, we could execute those options on behalf of the president of the United States and this department, or maybe we don't have to use them at all. Maybe negotiations will work."

He said the goal was to remain "unpredictable." Caine added that the presence of U.S. ground forces in the region can serve as a "pressure point" as diplomatic efforts continue.

Meanwhile, Trump administration officials have faced challenges in securing support from some U.S. allies, an issue that Hegseth and President Trump have publicly pointed out.

On Tuesday, Trump complained that countries have "refused to get involved" in the war and efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. allies' access to oil has been impacted by Iran's chokehold on the key waterway as a result of the joint operation launched by U.S. and Israel. But now, Trump wants those countries to deal with the Strait.

"All of those countries that can't get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump added that countries will have to "start learning how to fight" for themselves.

"The U.S.A. won't be there to help you anymore, just like you weren't there for us," Trump wrote. "Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!"

In a separate Truth Social post, Trump singled out France for barring Israeli military planes from flying over its airspace.

"The USA will REMEMBER!!!" Trump posted on Truth Social.

On Tuesday, the Italian and U.K. governments reportedly restricted U.S. warplanes from landing in their military bases.

At the Pentagon, Hegseth acknowledged that the U.S. military has faced "roadblocks or hesitations" from U.S. allies when asking for assistance or use of their bases — and said the president is simply noting that "we don't have much of an alliance."

"A lot has been shown to the world about what our allies would be willing to do for the United States of America when we undertake an effort of this scope on behalf of the free world," Hegseth said.

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