The United States is prepared to resume strikes on Iran if negotiations fail to produce a deal, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday, as negotiators from both sides worked to bridge deep differences.
“Our ability to recommence if necessary — we are more than capable,” Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. “Our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe, so we’re in a very good place.”
Hegseth said President Donald Trump was “patient” and seeking a “great deal” that ensures Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon. On Friday, Trump said he would convene advisers in a secure White House setting to make a “final determination” on a proposal that would extend the early-April ceasefire by a further 60 days, giving negotiators time to work toward a permanent end to the conflict.
The defence secretary also pushed back on suggestions the Iran conflict had drawn US focus away from the Asia-Pacific. “We can do two things at one time. We’re super-charging our defence industrial base so that we’re building two, three, four times the munitions very soon to ensure that all of our plans are properly funded throughout the world,” he said.
The war, launched by the US and Israel on 28 February, has killed thousands of people, primarily in Iran and Lebanon, and driven up global energy prices through Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
(Reuters)
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