In his first live address since striking Iran, President Trump said the initial U.S. military plan called for four to five weeks of combat operations — but that the campaign is moving "substantially ahead" of schedule. Why it matters: Trump has floated several possible timelines and " off ramps ," keeping his plans vague as reporters have pressed him on the scope, duration and goals of the massive U.S.-Israel bombing campaign. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said at a Pentagon press conference Monday that Operation Epic Fury will take time, but declined to provide specifics. "President Trump has all the latitude in the world to talk about how long it may or may not take — four weeks, two weeks, six weeks. It could move up. It could move back," Hegseth said. The big picture: Trump justified the timing of the strikes by saying this was "the last best chance" to eliminate the Iranian threat — and that a diplomatic deal had fallen apart at the last moment. Trump said he warned the Iranians not to rebuild its nuclear facilities at a new location, but claimed they ignored the warning and continued to pursue nuclear weapons. "We thought we had a deal and they backed out," he said. What they're saying: Trump laid out four explicit objectives for the war, which notably did not address the status of the Iranian regime or potential U.S.-backed successors. Missiles: "First, we're destroying Iran's missile capabilities and you see that happening on an hourly basis and their capacity to produce brand-new ones." Navy: "Second, we're annihilating their Navy. We've knocked out already 10 ships. They're at the bottom of the sea." Proxies: "Third, we're ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders." Nuclear: "And finally, we're ensuring that the world's number one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon."