Hegseth: U.S. 'more than prepared' if Iran nuclear talks go nowhere

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday asserted that the United States military was prepared to pursue aggressive action against Iran if the Islamic Republic did not negotiate with Washington on its nuclear program.

The U.S. launched military strikes on Iran last year, targeting key facilities related to the country's nuclear weapons development, leading to a short exchange of attacks between Iran and Israel. The Trump administration has sought to convince the theocratic government to abandon its ambitions for a nuclear weapon, though Hegseth indicated more strikes could continue if it refused.

“The President’s been clear from the beginning, as he was before Midnight Hammer. Iran will not have nuclear weapons capability. And so they can either negotiate on that front, or we have other options. That’s why the War Department exists,” he said, according to The Hill. “He doesn’t want to go that route, I don’t want to go that route, but our job is to be prepared, and so of course we are, we’re more than prepared."

Iran has, in recent weeks, faced considerable nationwide protests against the Islamic government, though Tehran has largely put the unrest down.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.