The United States and Israel pounded Iran on Tuesday with what the Pentagon and Iranians on the ground said were the most intense airstrikes of the war, despite global markets betting that President Donald Trump will seek to end the conflict soon.

Iranians cowered under the barrage as Pete Hegseth, the U.S. defense secretary, said the U.S. aimed to wipe out Iran’s capacity to obtain nuclear weapons “forever.”

"We're achieving major strides toward completing our military objective. And some people could say they're pretty well complete," the president told reporters.