Pete Hegseth: Iran Still Has Opportunity to Reach Sensible Agreement

The U.S. Secretary of Defense, in a joint press conference with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced that Iran has the opportunity to reach a “good” and “sensible” agreement with the United States. Pete Hegseth stated that the U.S. military “achieved a decisive military result in just a few weeks.”

He reiterated once again that “ultimately, Iran will not have a nuclear bomb,” and described U.S. military operations against the Islamic Republic as a “gift to the world.” Adding to this, he said that these operations have entered a new phase and are ongoing. He referred to the naval blockade of Iran, describing it as “ironclad.” Pete Hegseth stated that this blockade “is becoming more powerful by the day.”

In another part of his press conference, he noted that the two ships Iran fired upon and subsequently seized in the Strait of Hormuz in recent days were targeted “accidentally” and did not belong to the United States or Israel.

Pete Hegseth continued, saying that anyone “with a speedboat and a weapon, if they have malicious intent, can do such a thing.” He further emphasized that the U.S. is in no rush to reach an agreement and that Iran “still has the opportunity to make the right decision”; it only needs to “genuinely and verifiably abandon nuclear weapons.”

The U.S. Secretary of Defense also announced that Donald Trump has authorized the U.S. Navy to destroy any Iranian speedboat that attempts to lay mines or disrupt passage in the Strait of Hormuz. He emphasized: “Without any hesitation, we will shoot to destroy.”