‘US Will Be Prepared’: Pete Hegseth Says Pentagon Ready For Any Iran Decision, Warns Tehran Against Pursuing Nuclear Capabilities

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that the American military stands ready to carry out any decision President Donald Trump makes on Iran, stressing that Washington’s goal is to ensure Tehran does not pursue nuclear weapons capability.

Speaking during a cabinet meeting, Hegseth was asked by Trump to comment on the situation as a significant U.S. military presence remains deployed across the region, underscoring heightened tensions and the administration’s readiness to respond if required.

“They should not pursue nuclear capabilities. We will be prepared to deliver whatever this president expects of the War Department,” Hegseth said, referring to the Trump administration’s unofficial renaming of the Defense Department.

U.S. officials say Trump is reviewing his options but has not decided whether to strike Iran.

U.S.-Iranian tensions soared following a bloody crackdown on protests across Iran by its clerical authorities in recent weeks.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene if Iran continued to kill protesters, but the countrywide demonstrations over economic privations and political repression have since abated.

He has said the United States would act if Tehran resumed its nuclear program after the June airstrikes by Israeli and U.S. forces on key nuclear installations.

(With Reuters Inputs)

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