## Iran's 'Secret' CIA Outreach Amid Operation Epic Furry; Hegseth Claims 'Winning' Despite Severe US Comms Damage
On Day 5 of the Trump-ordered Operation Epic Furry targeting Iran for regime change, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth declared the US is "winning" against Iran, signaling that additional American forces are en route and vowing Washington will take "all the time it needs" to secure 'victory'. However, instances of blowback are piling up rapidly. This follows President Trump suggesting an open-ended timeline but expressing that four or five weeks should suffice. Americans might recall similar pledges at the start of the Iraq war, which became a 20-year occupation. In 2002, Donald Rumsfeld declared of Iraq operations: "Five days or five weeks or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that... It won't be a World War III." Iranian state media reports the death toll from U.S.-Israeli strikes has climbed to at least 1,045. US losses stand at at least six service members killed, with several critically wounded, though CENTCOM has yet to issue a new Wednesday casualty update. A planned late-night ceremony in Tehran honoring Iran’s slain supreme leader was abruptly postponed, officially due to "logistical issues." The report also notes Tehran has made a 'secret' outreach to the CIA, and US communications infrastructure has sustained severe damage despite Hegseth's declarations.
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- **Source**: 
- **Sector**: The Network
- **Tags**: iran, us, iraq, yemen, saudi arabia
- **Credibility**: unverified
- **Published**: 2026-03-05 15:43:07
- **ID**: 1980
- **URL**: https://whisperx.ai/en/intel/1980