U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that American forces would carry out strikes against Iran “tonight” if directed to do so by President Donald Trump, adding that Washington could also reimpose a naval blockade on Iran.
Hegseth’s remarks came after Trump said it was likely that the United States would “hit Iran hard again tonight,” arguing that Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons and claiming that “if they had them, they would use them.”
Trump said he was dissatisfied with Iran’s actions, stressing that the issue was not about regime change but about preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
He added that the Iranians were “behaving very badly” and said the United States had launched strikes after Iran targeted vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, describing the Iranian attacks as a violation of the temporary agreement.
Trump also said that the agreement with Iran requires Tehran to halt its nuclear program, “or we will do it ourselves.”
