WASHINGTON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing massive strikes on Iran will not be "endless," U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday.

"This is not Iraq. This is not endless," Hegseth said at a press conference in the Pentagon, adding that the U.S. strikes on Iran could be shorter or longer than the four to five weeks that Trump had suggested in media interviews.

"President Trump has all the latitude in the world to talk about how long it may or may not take," he said.

He also denied that the goal of the U.S. military campaign is to seek regime change in Iran, saying the strikes are designed to destroy the Iranian navy and the country's nuclear and missile programs. ■