Defiant Iran vows to fight 'until complete victory,' despite heavy military losses

An Iranian military spokesman defiantly vowed Tuesday that Tehran’s armed forces will fight "until complete victory," despite suffering heavy losses from the joint U.S. and Israeli campaign. The remark from Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, which is Iran’s top military command, comes after President Donald Trump paused planned U.S. strikes on Iran on Monday, citing diplomatic progress. "Iran’s powerful armed forces are proud, victorious and steadfast in defending Iran’s integrity, and this path will continue until complete victory," Iranian state television quoted Aliabadi as saying, according to The Associated Press. It added that Aliabadi did not say what "complete victory" would look like. Operation Epic Fury, which started Feb. 28, has resulted in the destruction of or damage to more than 140 Iranian naval vessels, U.S. Central Command said Monday. In total, more than 9,000 combat flights have been conducted as part of the campaign. TRUMP’S Iran STRATEGY SHOWCASES ‘DOCTRINE OF UNPREDICTABILITY’ AMID STRIKE THREATS AND SUDDEN PAUSE "CENTCOM forces are striking targets to dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, prioritizing locations that pose an imminent threat," CENTCOM said. Targeted assets include Iranian Navy ships and submarines, air defense systems, anti-ship missile sites, military communication infrastructure and facilities involved in ballistic missile and drone manufacturing. On Friday, Trump, speaking about Iran, said, "Their Navy's gone, their Air Force is gone, their anti-aircraft is all gone." JET FUEL PRICES SOAR AS AIRLINES WARN SUPPLIES COULD RUN DRY WITHIN WEEKS "Their leaders are all gone. The next set of leaders are all gone. And the next set of leaders are mostly gone," Trump continued. "And now, nobody wants to be a leader over there anymore. We're having a hard time. We want to talk to them and there's nobody to talk to." Trump also said, "Over the past few weeks, the world has seen the true strength and might of our sailors and aviators as they fought in one of the most complex and successful military operations of all time against the Iranian regime." "And it's amazing... I don't want to get too crazy here, not a contest. It's not even a contest. They do whatever they want," Trump said. Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey, Morgan Phillips and The Associated Press contributed to this report.