US attacks on Iran will hit a new intensity on Tuesday and the war will continue as long as President Donald Trump decides, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said.

"Today will be yet again, our most intense day of strikes inside Iran – the most fighters, the most bombers," Hegseth told a news conference at the Pentagon more than 10 days into the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.

As for a timeline for the war, Trump "gets to control the throttle. He's the one deciding," Hegseth said.

"It's not for me to posit whether it's the beginning, the middle or the end," the US defence secretary said.

Trump had said the previous day that the war could end "very soon," but remained vague.

Among the goals is destruction of Iran's navy, which has been targeted with "artillery, fighters, bombers and sea-launched missiles," General Dan Caine, the top US military officer, said alongside Hegseth on Tuesday.

Iran has vowed to block all oil exports via the Gulf while the war lasts, while Trump has threatened "death, fire, and fury" if Tehran interferes with crude exports.

Caine said US forces continue "to hunt and strike mine-laying vessels and mine storage facilities" – weapons Iran could use to block maritime traffic.

Tehran has responded to the war by launching waves of missiles and drones at countries in the region that host US forces, but Hegseth said on Tuesday that the volume of fire is lessening.

"The last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest number of missiles they've been capable of firing yet," he said. (AFP)


Edited by Edmond Fong