“Never, ever, ever have a nuclear weapon” – Secretary of Defense Hegseth says Trump administration is “hell-bent” on preventing Iran from obtaining atomic weapons.
By World Israel News Staff
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Iran over the weekend that Washington remains determined to prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon and is preserving the ability to escalate militarily, as the Pentagon sends additional naval forces toward the Middle East amid stalled efforts to end the months-long conflict.
Speaking to reporters Saturday, Hegseth refused to disclose precisely how the growing US military presence in the region would be used, but made clear that President Donald Trump would be given a wide range of options if Tehran refuses to meet American demands.
Asked about the possibility of three US aircraft carriers operating in the region, Hegseth said he would not reveal future force movements.
“It’s a fair question, but I will never answer it,” he said.
Hegseth said his responsibility was to maximize the president’s ability to choose among military options while balancing US commitments elsewhere in the world.
“So the president’s going to have options,” he said.
His comments came as the United States moves the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the Makin Island amphibious readiness group toward the Middle East, potentially adding thousands of sailors and Marines to an already substantial American deployment.
The USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington have also been operating in the region. Depending on rotations, the latest deployment could temporarily leave three American carrier strike groups positioned around the Middle East.
Hegseth reserved his strongest language for Iran’s nuclear program, saying there was no scenario in which Washington would accept an Iranian nuclear weapon.
“Iran will never, ever, ever have a nuclear weapon,” Hegseth said.
He said Trump was “hell-bent and determined” to ensure that Tehran never reaches that point and warned Iranian leaders against assuming that the president would ultimately back away from his demands.
Iran, he said, could abandon its nuclear ambitions voluntarily or face renewed American action.
“It may have to happen the hard way,” Hegseth warned.
The comments come as diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict to an end have struggled to produce a breakthrough. Iran has sought a deal that would ease US economic and military pressure and address restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington has continued to insist on concessions over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Trump has rejected Iran’s latest proposal as insufficient and has publicly left open the possibility of intensifying military operations following the US midterm elections in November.
The president’s senior national security team also met at Camp David on Friday for lengthy discussions focused on Iran and Yemen. Vice President JD Vance chaired the meeting, which included Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine.
The meeting came as Washington considers its next steps following months of intermittent fighting and economic pressure against Iran.
Hegseth also acknowledged that Tehran is attempting to rebuild parts of its missile force and defense industry destroyed during US operations.
He argued that Iran’s ability to replenish those capabilities had been severely damaged.
Tehran’s equivalent of major American defense manufacturers, he said, had been among the infrastructure devastated during Operation Epic Fury, making the rebuilding process substantially more difficult.
Iran would inevitably try to restore its forces, Hegseth said, but the destruction of industrial facilities and military infrastructure meant that doing so would be a “very slow process.”
The defense secretary was similarly emphatic about the Strait of Hormuz, where control of shipping has become one of the central pressure points in the confrontation.
“Iran wants to play games with things like the Strait of Hormuz. They don’t control it, we do,” Hegseth said.
He described the US blockade as “ironclad” and claimed commercial traffic permitted through the strategic waterway was approaching prewar levels.
Washington says its operations have substantially reduced Iran’s ability to challenge American control of the waterway by destroying naval vessels, fast boats, aircraft and systems used to detect and track activity in and around the strait.
Hegseth said Iran no longer possesses the military capabilities it once relied upon to dominate the area and maintained that the United States could continue enforcing its blockade for as long as necessary.
The Pentagon has previously said Operation Epic Fury was intended to destroy Iran’s offensive missile capacity, missile-production infrastructure, naval forces and other military assets while permanently denying Tehran a nuclear weapon.
Hegseth declined to predict whether military operations against Iran would conclude before the end of 2026, saying such decisions ultimately belong to Trump.
He nevertheless argued that the administration does not intend to allow the campaign to become an open-ended conflict and said Iran still has an opportunity to resolve the confrontation through negotiations.
“The president has given Iran every opportunity to do it at the table,” he said.
“Iran ought to make the right choice,” he said. If it does not, Hegseth warned, Trump will have “all the options he needs on the table.”
The post Hegseth warns Iran faces ‘hard way’ as US expands military options in Mideast appeared first on World Israel News.