India, March 2 -- US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday that military operations against Iran would not lead to an "endless war" and that the aim was to destroy Tehran's missiles, Navy and other security infrastructure.

Hegseth said the operation had a "clear, devastating, decisive mission" to "destroy the missile threat" from Iran, destroy its navy and "no nukes."

"This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change and the world is better off for it," Hegseth said during a press conference at the Pentagon.

"We're hitting them surgically, overwhelmingly and unapologetically," he added.

Hegseth said that the war against Iran is not an effort to build democracy in the Islamic Republic.

"No stupid rules...