Upcoming days of Iran war 'will be decisive,' says US defense chief

WASHINGTON

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the upcoming days would be “decisive” as the US weighs its next steps on Iran.

"We have more and more options, and they have less,” Hegseth said at a news conference, the first in nearly two weeks, alongside Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Only one month, we set the terms. The upcoming days will be decisive. Iran knows that, and there's almost nothing they can militarily do about it."

"We want that deal to be accomplished, if at all possible. If not, then we're prepared to continue," Hegseth said.

Regional escalations have continued to rage since Israel and the US launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.

Hegseth said Iran will cut a deal if it is "wise."

"President (Donald) Trump does not bluff and does not back down—you can ask Khamenei about that. The new Iranian regime should know that by now. This new regime—because regime change has occurred—should be wiser than the last.

"President Trump will make a deal; he is willing. And the terms of the deal are known to them. If Iran is not willing, then the United States War Department will continue—with even more intensity."

Iran should 'carefully consider' diplomacy

Caine, for his part, said the US has struck more than 11,000 targets over the past 30 days.

"Our joint force continues to focus on our military objectives as we systematically continue to degrade and destroy Iran's ability to project power and threaten civility beyond its borders," he said.

Caine said the US has taken out more than 150 ships in Iran's Navy.

The US will continue to deliver precision strikes against key manufacturing nodes, component storage sites, and research facilities.

Caine also urged Iran to "carefully consider" diplomacy as US forces are out there in the region.

About putting boots on the ground, Hegseth said the US is "not going to foreclose any option."

"Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are. So if we needed to, we could execute those options on behalf of the President of the United States and this department, or maybe we don't have to use them at all. Maybe negotiations work," he said.

Countries 'ought to be prepared to step up' on Strait of Hormuz

Turning to the Strait of Hormuz, Hegseth said there are "many more vessels" flowing through the strait than there were, thanks to Trump.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump lashed out at US allies for their reluctance to help secure the strait, urging them to purchase American oil or obtain it themselves from the waterway.

Hegseth said Trump is "clear."

"There are countries around the world who ought to be prepared to step up on this critical waterway as well. It's not just the United States Navy," Hegseth said.

"So the world ought to pay attention to be prepared to stand up. President Trump has been willing to do the heavy lifting on behalf of the free world to address this threat of Iran. It's not just our problem set going forward."

When asked about reports of Russia and China aiding Iran, Hegseth said the US knows "exactly what they're doing, what they are or are not doing."

"We don't have to air publicly what all of that is, but where necessary, we're addressing it, we're mitigating it or we're confronting it head-on," he added.