India, March 31 -- Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of War, on Tuesday described his weekend field visit to the American military Central Command's base amid the war on Iran, and asserted that none of the soldiers wanted to be "sent home". He said he asked them as much directly.

"A crew chief told me, 'It's been busy. It's tough stuff.' I asked each young American if anyone wanted to be sent home. Nobody did. They all said, 'Let's finish the mission'," Hegseth said as he, along with General Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefed the media on the progress made on Operation Epic Fury.

This came amid speculation that the US is preparing for a ground operation in Iran.

Sharing some details of his visit, Hegseth said he...