Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that Iran's missile volume is down 90%, while their drones are down 95%.
Hegseth offered new details on the operation against Iran at a news conference from the Pentagon, noting the impact of U.S. and Israeli air strikes on the Islamic Republic.
WATCH: Middle East analysts on what the Iran war has accomplished and how it might end
Hegseth said that over 15,000 enemy targets have been struck, which is more than 1,000 a day since the war began on Feb. 28.
Iran's drone attacks in retaliation of the operation have been deadly and include a fatal attack in Kuwait that killed six American soldiers.
Hegseth says Iran's new supreme leader is 'disfigured'
Hegseth said that Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is wounded and "likely disfigured."
Khamenei took over Iran's leadership following his father's death. The younger Khamenei has not been seen or heard from publicly since the war started, leading to speculation about his whereabouts and health condition.
WATCH: Iran's new supreme leader vows continued retaliation across Gulf and oil routes
On Thursday he made his first public statements, resolving to keep fighting, promising more pain for Gulf Arab states and threatening to open "other fronts" in a war that has already disrupted world energy supplies, the global economy and international travel.
Hegseth did not elaborate on or give evidence about Khamenei's condition.
Caine gives more details of U.S. airmen killed in refueling plane crash
Hegseth said that "war is chaos" and that the sacrifice of those killed "will only recommit us to the resolve of this mission" as he acknowledged the crash of an American KC-135 military refueling plane taking part in the operation against Iran.
UPDATE: U.S. military says all 6 airmen in refueling aircraft that crashed in Iraq are dead
Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that four airmen had been recovered in what he described as an incident "over friendly territory in western Iraq" that was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.
U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said Thursday that two aircraft had been involved, and one landed safely while the other went down.
Hegseth calls Vance 'indispensable' to U.S. leadership over actions in Iran
Hegseth applauded Vice President JD Vance as a "key voice" on Iran, calling him "an incredible member, leader of this team."
Trump said while dismissing the notion of a disagreement this week that Vance was "philosophically a little bit different than me" at the war's outset.
Vance, a former Marine, has often reinforced Trump's vision of an America more focused on solving problems at home than intervening in conflicts abroad. In a 2023 op-ed in The Wall Street Journal getting renewed attention, Vance wrote that Trump had his support because "I know he won't recklessly send Americans to fight overseas."
On the eve of the strikes, Vance told The Washington Post there was "no chance" the U.S. would become involved in a drawn-out war as it did in Iraq.
Hegseth says U.S. is working to make sure 'energy flows' through Strait of Hormuz
The defense secretary has told reporters that Iran is "exercising sheer desperation" with its threats that have blocked a significant portion of the world's oil supply.
"We're dealing with it," he told reporters at Friday at the Pentagon. He not give details.
WATCH: Iran targets ships in Strait of Hormuz, raising global energy fears
Caine added that the U.S. military has "made it a priority to target Iran's minelaying enterprise" in the strategic waterway.
Hegseth: Stopping Iran's nuclear program remains 'core mission'
Hegseth said ending Iran's nuclear weapons program remains a "core mission" as U.S. and Israeli strikes on the country continue.
Speaking at the media briefing at the Pentagon, Hegseth said the president is focused on ending Iran's ability to manufacture nuclear weapons for good.
Hegseth would not say whether ground forces will be needed to secure Iran's supply of enriched uranium or its nuclear facilities, but said the U.S. is considering a range of options. He said he would welcome a decision by Iran's leaders to voluntarily give up their program.
"We've said from the beginning: deny Iran nuclear weapons," Hegseth said.
Hegseth says 'no clear evidence' Iran is placing new mines in the Strait
Responding to a shouted question at Friday's briefing about new Iranian mines impacting the Strait of Hormuz, Hegseth said "we've heard them talk about it, just like you've reported recklessly and wildly about it, but we have no clear evidence."
WATCH: Can tapping into oil reserves help stabilize prices?
On Tuesday, the U.S. said it took out more than a dozen mine-laying Iranian vessels. Iran has vowed to block the region's oil exports, with one official saying Iran's enemies won't get "even a single liter."
Hegseth says an officer has been picked to lead probe into Iran school strike
Hegseth said U.S. Central Command has designated an officer to lead the investigation into a deadly strike on an elementary school in Iran.
The investigating officer was chosen from outside Central Command, which oversees the Middle East.
The strike on the school in the opening hours of the U.S. war in Iran killed more than 165 people, many of them children.
WATCH: Trump sidesteps responsibility for deadly strike on Iranian girls' school
The Associated Press has reported that outdated intelligence likely led the U.S. to carry out the missile strike on the school.
Speaking at media briefing Friday, Hegseth wouldn't answer questions about what led to the strike, but said the U.S. does not target civilians. He said the investigation will take "as long as necessary."
"We'll get to the truth and we'll share it when we have it," Hegseth said.