The Department of Justice (DOJ) is continuing its investigation into former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen in the final months of his administration — focusing on pardons and commutations — though a senior official said Biden himself is unlikely to face criminal exposure.

A senior DOJ official told Fox News that the autopen investigation is ongoing and not closed, adding that investigators are reviewing clemency actions taken in the final months of the Biden administration.

The official also pointed out, however, that the use of an autopen by a sitting president is ‘established law.’

The issue under review is whether the autopen was used in violation of the law — specifically, whether Biden personally approved each name included on pardon and commutation lists.

‘These types of cases are tough, executive privilege issues come into play,’ the official said.

What is also clear, the official indicated, is that the target of any potential prosecution would not likely be Biden.

‘It’s hard to imagine how [Biden] could be criminally liable for pardon power,’ the senior DOJ official said.

The official noted that one reason the former president would be unlikely to face charges stems from a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that originally involved President Donald Trump, the current sitting president, but would also apply to Biden.

‘We conclude that under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power requires that a former President have some immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts during his tenure in office,’ the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States in 2024. ‘At least with respect to the President’s exercise of his core constitutional powers, this immunity must be absolute.’

Sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s team continues to review the Biden White House’s reliance on an autopen, contradicting a recent New York Times report that indicated the investigation had been paused.

Trump has pushed for consequences tied to the autopen controversy, alleging on social media that aides acted unlawfully in its use and raising the prospect of perjury charges against Biden.

Biden has rejected those claims, saying in a statement last year that he personally directed the decisions in question.

‘Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,’ Biden said. ‘I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.’

The House Oversight Committee has homed in on Biden’s clemency actions, including five controversial pardons for family members in the final days of his presidency, citing what it described as a lack of ‘contemporaneous documentation’ confirming that Biden directly ordered the pardons.

The committee asked the DOJ to investigate ‘all of former President Biden’s executive actions, particularly clemency actions, to assess whether legal action must be taken to void any action that the former president did not, in fact, take himself.’

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.

The United States and Venezuela’s interim authorities have agreed to re-establish diplomatic and consular relations, according to a State Department media note issued Thursday.

‘The United States and Venezuela’s interim authorities have agreed to re-establish diplomatic and consular relations,’ the State Department said in a statement released March 5.

The State Department said the agreement is intended to ‘facilitate our joint efforts to promote stability, support economic recovery, and advance political reconciliation in Venezuela.’

‘Our engagement is focused on helping the Venezuelan people move forward through a phased process that creates the conditions for a peaceful transition to a democratically elected government,’ the statement said.

The announcement confirms the restoration of diplomatic and consular relations between the two governments. The State Department did not specify when embassy operations or visa services could resume.

The statement also did not address potential sanctions changes, outline migration or security cooperation measures, or provide additional details about diplomatic engagement moving forward.

The announcement comes after months of U.S. engagement in Venezuela.

U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum traveled to Caracas on March 4 and held meetings with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez during a two-day visit, U.S. and Venezuelan officials said. 

Burgum discussed opportunities related to mining and critical minerals supply chains and said the Venezuelan interim government had offered security assurances for foreign mining companies seeking to invest in the country.

U.S. forces captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3 in Caracas. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty two days later in federal court in New York to charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons-related offenses.

Diplomatic and consular relations typically involve government-to-government engagement as well as the operation of embassies and consulates that facilitate visas, citizen services and diplomatic coordination.

‘The United States remains committed to supporting the Venezuelan people and working with partners across the region to advance stability and prosperity,’ the statement said.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz and Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this reporting.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that Iran’s decision to strike neighboring countries has backfired strategically, driving Gulf states that had hoped to stay out of the conflict ‘into the American orbit’ as the U.S. prepares to dramatically increase firepower over Tehran.

‘What Iran is doing by targeting allied countries that would otherwise want to stay out of this, they’ve actually pulled them into the American orbit,’ Hegseth said during a briefing at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida.

He cited the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as countries now offering expanded cooperation, arguing that Tehran’s retaliatory campaign has strengthened regional alignment with Washington rather than weakened it.

U.S. military officials say Iran has launched strikes against a growing number of countries in the region since the conflict began, with CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper noting Tehran has targeted at least a dozen nations.

Rather than isolating the United States, Hegseth suggested Iran’s actions are consolidating support for the campaign.

‘The amount of firepower over Iran and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically,’ he said, pointing to additional base access and increased bomber operations.

Hegseth also addressed allied base access, including the United Kingdom’s initial hesitation to grant U.S. forces early access to strategic facilities. He said the issue has since been resolved and that British-controlled bases are now part of the expanding U.S. air campaign.

‘It was unfortunate that … the Brits didn’t, from day one say, ‘Hey, go ahead and have access,’’ he said. ‘But we got there, we got there. And that’s now part of the way that we’re operationalizing bomber runs. … The amount of firepower over Iran and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically, and part of it is that we’re going to have even more basing.’

Gulf and Arab governments have publicly condemned Iranian missile and drone strikes on their territories as violations of sovereignty and threats to regional security, while stopping short of criticizing U.S. military action.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan issued a joint statement strongly condemning Iran’s ‘indiscriminate and reckless’ missile and drone attacks against sovereign territory in the region, reaffirming their right to self-defense.

Regional leaders have framed Iran’s actions as dangerous escalations rather than legitimate retaliation, underscoring a rare moment of unified public opposition among Gulf Cooperation Council members.

Beyond the Gulf, Azerbaijan has also protested what it says were Iranian drone strikes on its Nakhchivan exclave, which injured civilians and damaged the international airport. Baku summoned Tehran’s ambassador and said it reserved the right to take retaliatory measures in defense of its territory, even as Tehran denied responsibility for the incident.

Some regional analysts say Iran appears to have miscalculated by striking at U.S. assets in third-party nations.

‘It was absolutely inevitable that the Iranians would seek to lash out, to widen the conflict … but all they’ve really done is made everybody quite mad, and that was a really bad calculation on their part,’ said Danielle Pletka, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Peter Doran, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, noted the shift in regional alignment.

‘It would have been unbelievable just one year ago to see Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states lining up with the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic,’ he said.

Hegseth dismissed suggestions that the war is spiraling outward, arguing that Iran’s actions are instead clarifying the battlefield and strengthening U.S. partnerships.

‘This idea that it’s expanding or going — no,’ he said. ‘It’s actually simplifying in a number of ways exactly what we need to achieve and how we’ll achieve it.’

Pentagon officials say U.S. bombers have struck nearly 200 targets in the past 72 hours, destroyed more than 30 Iranian naval vessels and significantly reduced missile and drone attacks since the opening days of the operation.

Officials maintain that the campaign’s objectives remain limited to degrading Iran’s ability to threaten Americans and its neighbors, even as the president has suggested he needs to have a say in who becomes Iran’s next leader.

‘I think the president’s having a heck of a say in who runs Iran, given the ongoing operation we have,’ Hegseth said.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is continuing its investigation into former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen in the final months of his administration — focusing on pardons and commutations — though a senior official said Biden is unlikely to face criminal exposure.

A senior DOJ official told Fox News the autopen investigation is ongoing and not closed, adding investigators are reviewing clemency actions taken in the final months of the Biden administration.

The official also pointed out, however, that the use of an autopen by a sitting president is ‘established law.’

The issue under review is whether the autopen was used in violation of the law, specifically, whether Biden personally approved each name included on pardon and commutation lists.

‘These types of cases are tough. Executive privilege issues come into play,’ the official said.

What is also clear, the official indicated, is that the target of any potential prosecution would not likely be Biden.

‘It’s hard to imagine how [Biden] could be criminally liable for pardon power,’ the senior DOJ official said.

The official noted that one reason the former president would be unlikely to face charges stems from a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that originally involved current President Donald Trump but would also apply to Biden.

‘We conclude that under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power requires that a former President have some immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts during his tenure in office,’ the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States in 2024. 

‘At least with respect to the President’s exercise of his core constitutional powers, this immunity must be absolute.’

Sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s team continues to review the Biden White House’s reliance on an autopen, contradicting a recent New York Times report that indicated the investigation had been paused.

Trump has pushed for consequences over the autopen controversy, alleging on social media that aides acted unlawfully in its use and raising the prospect of perjury charges against Biden.

Biden has rejected those claims, saying in a statement last year he personally directed the decisions in question.

‘Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,’ Biden said. ‘I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.’

The House Oversight Committee has homed in on Biden’s clemency actions, including five controversial pardons for family members in the final days of his presidency, citing what it described as a lack of ‘contemporaneous documentation’ confirming that Biden directly ordered the pardons.

The committee asked the DOJ to investigate ‘all of former President Biden’s executive actions, particularly clemency actions, to assess whether legal action must be taken to void any action that the former president did not, in fact, take himself.’

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, announced Thursday evening he will not seek re-election amid a House Ethics investigation into an affair he admitted to having with a former staffer.

Gonzales, a married father of 6, admitted to the affair for the first time on Wednesday – a day after advancing to the GOP primary runoff for his congressional district.

‘At 18, I swore an oath to defend our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. During my 20 years in the military and three terms in Congress, I have fought for that cause with absolute dedication to the country that I love,’ Gonzales said in a statement.

‘From overcoming the border crisis to taking a stand with my communities after the worst school shooting in Texas’ history, my philosophy has never changed: do as much as you can, and always fight for the greater good,’ he continued.

‘After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,’ he added. ‘Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful.

Gonzales confessed to the affair during an appearance on a conservative talk radio show one day after advancing to a runoff election in his congressional district’s GOP primary.

The House Ethics Committee also launched an investigation into Gonzales on Wednesday to determine if he engaged in sexual misconduct with a female member of his staff and whether he doled out special favors or privileges as a result.

Amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, analysts say the Trump administration should pressure Lebanon to fulfill its commitments to disarm the Iran-backed terrorist group as it drags the country into another war with Israel.  

David Schenker, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs who oversaw Lebanon’s policy during the first Trump administration and now directs the Program on Arab Politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said: ‘The U.S. should make clear to Lebanon that it is time for the state to honor its ceasefire commitment to disarm Hezbollah,’ he told Fox News Digital. Schenker warned if Beirut ‘doesn’t pursue disarmament, it will remain a failed state.’

The warning comes as the IDF attacked multiple Hezbollah targets Friday in response to the terror group’s launching of rockets and drones toward Israel on March 2, its first attack since a November 2024 ceasefire ended the previous round of fighting. 

Since the first day of the renewed fighting, the IDF has carried out over 200 strikes across Lebanon targeting Hezbollah’s military, media and financial infrastructure, as well as operatives from the group and affiliated networks, according to a March 5 analysis by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’Long War Journal. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also threatened Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem.

The renewed fighting has exposed deep tensions inside Lebanon’s government, which in recent days called on Hezbollah to disarm and ordered security agencies to prevent attacks on Israel from Lebanese territory. 

Schenker says the move reflects frustration in Beirut rather than a fundamental policy shift. ‘The Government of Lebanon’s latest cabinet vote on Hezbollah disarmament is nothing new,’ Schenker said. ‘It is a reiteration of the cabinet decision last August mandating the disarmament of Hezbollah. The language is perhaps more strident, but the message is the same.’

‘It is a reflection of the Government’s frustration and desperation over Hezbollah dragging Lebanon into yet another war with Israel,’ he added. ‘It also reflects the Lebanese Armed Forces’ failure to date to take its mission of disarmament seriously.’

Hezbollah’s latest attacks appear to have caught Lebanese officials off guard. Reports suggest the group had previously assured officials it would not intervene in a broader regional conflict tied to Iran.

Schenker said the episode underscores a longstanding reality in Lebanon’s political system. ‘The government of Lebanon has never tried to control Hezbollah,’ he said. ‘The few months that the LAF devoted to disarmament in south Lebanon was performed with Hezbollah’s consent and coordinated with the militia.’

Still, public frustration inside Lebanon may be shifting the political environment. ‘Given the population’s growing anger toward Hezbollah now, the political environment should be more conducive for the LAF to confront Hezbollah,’ Schenker said.

‘The fear of ‘civil war’—i.e., Hezbollah perpetrating violence against the Government—remains,’ he added. ‘But increasingly, Lebanese prefer taking that risk and possibly gaining sovereignty than being in a state of perpetual war with Israel.’

In a clip posted on X by the Center for Peace Communications, Lebanese people angrily responded to Hezbollah’s actions with one man telling Jusoor News: ‘If Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem wants to commit suicide, let him go do it in Tehran, not Lebanon.’

According to David Daoud, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Hezbollah’s decision to attack Israel despite the ceasefire reflects the group’s willingness to escalate the conflict even as Lebanon’s government seeks to avoid another war.

The crisis has also drawn international attention. French President Emmanuel Macron called for urgent steps to prevent Lebanon from sliding deeper into war.

‘Everything must be done to prevent this country, so close to France, from once again being drawn into war,’ Macron wrote in a statement posted on X on March 5 after speaking with Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese leaders.

Macron said Hezbollah ‘must immediately cease its fire toward Israel,’ while urging Israel to avoid expanding military operations inside Lebanon.

For now, analysts say the outcome may depend on whether Lebanon’s government is willing to confront Hezbollah directly or continue to tolerate Iran’s terror proxy that has long operated outside the control of the government’s control.

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 800-273-TALK (8255).

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, announced Thursday evening he will not seek re-election amid a House Ethics investigation into an affair he admitted to having with a former staffer.

Gonzales, a married father of 6, admitted to the affair for the first time during an appearance on a conservative talk radio show on Wednesday – a day after advancing to the GOP primary runoff for his congressional district.

‘At 18, I swore an oath to defend our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. During my 20 years in the military and three terms in Congress, I have fought for that cause with absolute dedication to the country that I love,’ Gonzales said in a statement.

‘From overcoming the border crisis to taking a stand with my communities after the worst school shooting in Texas’ history, my philosophy has never changed: do as much as you can, and always fight for the greater good,’ he continued.

‘After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,’ he added. ‘Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful.’

‘I made a mistake, and I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,’ he said on ‘The Joe Pags Show’ Wednesday night. ‘Since then, I’ve reconciled with my wife, Angel. I’ve asked God to forgive me, which he has, and my faith is as strong as ever.’

The House Ethics Committee also launched an investigation into Gonzales on Wednesday to determine if he engaged in sexual misconduct with a female member of his staff and whether he doled out special favors or privileges as a result.

The former staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, died after setting herself on fire outside her home late last year.

House GOP leaders called on the embattled representative to drop his re-election bid.

‘The Ethics Committee has announced an investigation into Congressman Tony Gonzales’s conduct, and we urge them to act expeditiously. Congressman Gonzales has said he will fully cooperate with the investigation,’ Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and other top Republicans said in a statement this week.

‘We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues. In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election,’ they added.

Gonzales’ departure paves the way for challenger Brandon Herrera to take the nomination. Herrera narrowly edged Gonzales by a 43.33% – 41.73% margin in Texas’ GOP primary for the 23rd congressional district on Tuesday, causing a runoff due to neither candidate earning 50% of the vote.

Herrera called his opponent’s withdrawal from the race the ‘appropriate decision.’

‘I appreciate Tony Gonzales for making the appropriate decision,’ Herrera wrote on X. ‘I look forward to being the voice of TX23 that our district deserves. From the border, to oil theft, water rights, data centers, and many other issues. It’s an honor to be chosen and together we will make Texas proud.’

Gonzales initially said he would not step down in the face of the accusations, telling reporters in late February ‘what you’ve seen is not all the facts.’

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Elizabeth Elkindcontributed to this report.

President Donald Trump took Washington by surprise Thursday with his decision to remove Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, but few lawmakers on Capitol Hill questioned his decision. 

Though Republicans rarely criticized Noem during her tenure, many GOP lawmakers argued Thursday that the secretary’s ouster was the right move. Trump quickly nominated Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., a close ally, to head the sprawling agency Thursday afternoon.

‘I think the president is doing what’s necessary to make sure the department is going to be operating effectively,’ Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who welcomed the news of Mullin’s appointment, said Thursday. ‘It was time.’

Mullin, a 48-year-old lawmaker, is a member of Senate Republicans’ leadership team and previously served several terms in the House of Representatives.

Noem’s time helming DHS was rocked by a series of controversies involving an expensive ad campaign she claimed had Trump’s approval and her widely-panned response to the fatal shootings of two Americans in Minneapolis by federal immigration officers earlier this year.

‘Obviously, it did not go well,’ Donalds added when asked about Noem’s appearance during two hearings on Capitol Hill this week.

Several GOP lawmakers, including Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Kennedy, R-La., tore into Noem during her appearance before the Senate’s judiciary panel on Tuesday. 

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a moderate lawmaker retiring at the end of his term, echoed Kennedy’s criticism questioning Noem’s prominent role in the costly ad campaign and her ties to recipients awarded contracts.

‘There’s legit concerns. When there was a $200 million advertising [campaign], we should be better stewards of our money,’ Bacon said. ‘I think the president probably saw a need for change.’

DHS has fired back that the massive ad campaign resulted in millions of self-deportations.

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital Thursday that Noem’s departure would eliminate ‘distractions’ and ‘conflicts’ that erupted at DHS under her leadership.

‘The department needs to be entirely focused on its mission, given the situation in the Middle East right now,’ Lawler said, referring to Operation Epic Fury in Iran. 

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., who is not running for reelection, wrote on social media Thursday that a ‘change in leadership at the Department of Homeland Security was long overdue.’

House Democrats, many of whom fiercely criticized Noem’s role in the Trump administration, appeared to agree.

‘She’s done enough damage that the president finally came to his senses,’ Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the lead Democrat on the House homeland security panel, said Thursday. 

‘I think it’s the right decision by the president. It’s been a long time coming,’ Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., told Fox News Digital.

Moskowitz, who tussled with Noem during her testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, argued that she would go down as the worst DHS secretary in the agency’s two-decade history. He declined, however, to sign on to articles of impeachment circulated by House Democrats.

When asked about Mullin’s appointment, Moskowitz said he wished him good luck. ‘She’s left him a disaster, but obviously I want him to succeed,’ the Florida Democrat said of Noem’s tenure. ‘We should all want that, so let’s give him that opportunity.’

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., will have at least one Democratic ‘yes’ vote in support of his nomination to become President Donald Trump’s next Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary. 

Trump announced Thursday afternoon that he tapped Mullin to replace outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who will leave the agency March 31. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., immediately threw his support behind Mullin’s nomination, dubbing the Oklahoma lawmaker a ‘nice upgrade’ compared to Noem. 

Fetterman repeatedly called for Noem’s ouster and said Thursday he was pleased with Trump’s decision. 

‘We’re in a different party, but this is the choice. I want to work together for making our America more secure,’ he said. 

Fetterman also said that he strongly believes Mullin already has the votes to win confirmation. Senate Republicans are widely expected to back Mullin’s nomination, and the jovial Oklahoma lawmaker could win over some Democrats. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who has voted against some Trump nominees, said she has a ‘great deal of respect’ for Mullin and is ‘OK’ with his nomination.

Under Senate rules, Cabinet nominations are set at a 51-vote threshold. 

However, many of Fetterman’s Democratic colleagues were either noncommittal about Mullin’s nomination or suggested they would not support him.

‘Whoever follows Kristi Noem is going to have to be totally and radically different in their approach to running this agency,’ Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Thursday. ‘Changing the person at the top is no substitute for changing the practices and the power structure of a department that is out of control.’

Blumenthal added that Mullin would have to commit to Democrats’ various reforms seeking to rein in immigration enforcement in order to win his vote. 

Mullin has repeatedly criticized Democrats’ proposal to prohibit federal immigration officers from wearing masks and requiring judicial warrants during enforcement operations.

‘I like him personally,’ Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, a member of Senate Democratic leadership, said of Mullin before adding that it was too early to debate his nomination.

Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., told Fox News Digital that they would not yet weigh in on Mullin’s nomination. Slotkin notably voted for Noem’s confirmation despite later souring on the secretary.

Mullin appeared somewhat taken aback by the news of his nomination when talking with reporters outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday afternoon.

‘No, the president and I still have to communicate, so we’ll talk about it moving forward,’ Mullin said. ‘The president and I have already talked… I’ll talk to you all [later].’

Fetterman has been the lone Democrat to advance a DHS spending measure amid a funding standoff over the agency’s appropriations that has no clear end in sight.

He poured cold water on the prospect of his Democratic colleagues reversing course to support funding DHS in response to Mullin’s nomination, telling reporters he expected ‘no change’ with the partial shutdown.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt would not rule out the possibility of the U.S. sending ground troops to Iran, though she said Wednesday it is not being considered at the moment.

During the first White House press briefing since Operation Epic Fury was launched, a reporter asked whether ground troops would be sent into Iran.

‘Well, they’re not part of the plan for this operation at this time, but I certainly will never take away military options on behalf of the president of the United States or the commander in chief, and he wisely does not do the same for himself,’ Leavitt said.

‘I know there’s many leaders in the past who like to take options off of the table without having a full understanding of how things could develop. So, again, it’s not part of the current plan, but I’m not going to remove an option for the president that is on the table.’

Since Saturday, the U.S. and Israel have carried out attacks on Iran using airstrikes and naval attacks, but neither country has put boots on the ground. The attacks that have been carried out thus far have targeted the regime’s security and military infrastructure, including the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials.

Leavitt said the U.S. has four main objectives with Operation Epic Fury: eliminate Iran’s ballistic missile threat, destroy its naval capability, disrupt its missile and drone production infrastructure and cut off Iran’s pathway to a nuclear weapon.

The press secretary was asked multiple times if the U.S. wished to see regime change in Iran. She repeated the objectives she previously detailed and reiterated the administration’s stance on the regime.

‘Obviously, as the president has said numerous times, do we want to see Iran being led by a rogue terrorist regime? No, of course not,’ Leavitt said.

So far, the U.S. has hit nearly 2,000 targets in Iran, and more than 17,500 Americans have returned to U.S. soil from the Middle East since the operation began.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth gave an operational update earlier on Wednesday, saying he U.S. was ‘decisively’ winning, and later adding that Iran was ‘toast’ and if it didn’t already realize it, it would ‘soon enough.’

‘I stand before you today with one unmistakable message about Operation Epic Fury. America is winning — decisively, devastatingly and without mercy,’ Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon.

‘The two most powerful air forces in the world will have complete control of Iranian skies. Uncontested airspace.’