Trump calls Strait of Hormuz 'something that we don't need'

Denying Iran nuclear weapons remains a "core mission" for the U.S. in its military operation and it has a "range of options," Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said at a Pentagon press briefing Friday.

"The president's kept his eye focused on nuclear capabilities. And I will say we have a range of options, up to and including Iran deciding that they will give those up, which of course, we would welcome," Hegseth said.

"I would never tell this group or the world what we're willing to do or how far we're willing to go, but we have options for sure," Hegseth said.

Asked about reports that a preliminary inquiry determined that the airstrike on an Iranian school was carried out by the U.S., Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declined to comment.

"We're not going to let reporting lead us or force our hand into indicating what happened in a particular situation because the truth matters," Hegseth said.

"I can report that CENTCOM has designated an investigating officer to complete a command investigation. The command investigation will take as long as necessary to address all the matters surrounding this incident. And the investigating officer is from outside CENTCOM and is a general officer," Hegseth said.

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khameini is "wounded and likely disfigured," Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Friday.

"His father: dead, he's scared, he's injured, he's on the run and he lacks legitimacy. It's a mess for them. Who's in charge? Iran may not even know," Hegseth said, commenting on why the new supreme leader put out a written statement on Thursday.

"With every passing hour, we know and we know they know, that the military capabilities of their evil regime are crumbling. They can barely communicate, let alone coordinate," Hegseth said.

Gen. Dan Caine addressed the crashed refueling plane incident, saying it is being treated as an active rescue and recovery mission.

“The incident occurred over friendly territory in western Iraq while the crew was on a combat mission, and again, was not the result, as CENTCOM has said, was not the result of hostile or friendly fire," Caine said.

"We're still treating this as an active rescue and recovery operation, as CENTCOM announced this morning, four airmen have been recovered, and the Air Force and U.S. Central Command will provide updates as information becomes available," Caine said.