Washington. The United States on Wednesday rejected China and Russia’s appeal for peace in their ongoing war with Iran, saying the conflict focuses only on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and military capabilities. At a Pentagon press briefing, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US is not negotiating with Beijing or Moscow on this matter and they are not central to the current conflict. “I don’t have any message for them and they’re not really a factor here. Our problem is not with them, our problem is with Iran’s nuclear ambitions,” he said.

This statement came at a time when the US military was in the fourth day of the campaign to attack Iran’s missile systems, naval assets and military structures under ‘Operation Epic Fury’. According to US officials, the operation was launched after intelligence data showed that Tehran was not negotiating in good faith over its nuclear program. “The evidence we have after the 12-day war shows that Iran had no intention of actually entering into a nuclear deal that would give them access to a nuclear bomb,” Hegseth said.

He said that the US believes that Iran has continued efforts to acquire the capability to make nuclear weapons, even though they also have large missile assets. “They have thousands of missiles aimed at us,” he said. According to the Pentagon, this military operation is designed to eliminate Iran’s ability to threaten US forces, regional allies and international sea lanes. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Dan Kane, said the operation had so far struck thousands of targets in Iran. “So far we have attacked more than 2,000 targets,” he said.

General Kane said that the campaign has also significantly reduced Iranian missile launches. Iranian theater ballistic missile shots have decreased by 86 percent compared to the day before. According to US officials, this campaign focuses on eliminating Iran’s ability to project power beyond its borders. “This campaign was launched with a clear military objective to eliminate Iran’s ability to project power beyond its borders today and in the future,” Kane said.

The Pentagon said several Middle Eastern countries are helping defend against Iranian missile and drone attacks, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan. Although American forces have achieved success in the initial fighting, officials warned that this war is still in its initial stage. “We’re 100 hours in. It’s still very early,” General Kane said. Tensions between Washington and Tehran have risen sharply in the past few months, with the US accusing Iran of building nuclear weapons and supporting attacks on US forces and allies in the region.