Hegseth says US 'more than capable' of resuming Iran strikes after Trump Situation Room meeting
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military is prepared to resume strikes against Iran if negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program collapse. President Donald Trump’s Situation Room meeting lasted around two hours on Friday, a White House official said, with no formal announcement made.
US military blockade of Iranian ports has ‘put the real pressure on Iran,’ Hegseth says
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Saturday that the “ironclad” U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports has “put the real pressure on Iran.”
Speaking in Singapore, Hegseth said the blockade, which began on April 13, is “very much still in place.”
"They want to say that they control the strait, but we do, and everything behind the scenes shows that we are in control when it comes to that, including how the dynamics of the negotiation are coming together,” Hegseth said regarding the Strait of Hormuz.
“I mean, this is a high-stakes negotiation. We've got the best negotiator in the world leading it. Iran may not want to give up their nuclear ambitions, but we believe at the table they can and will over time, given the right set of incentives,” Hegseth later said. “But the most incentive is the capabilities we have there right now, which they can't ultimately defend against at any real level, so those are decisions in the future the president will make based on how this ends, but I feel confident that he'll get to a deal that serves the interests of the American people.”
President Trump is ‘laser-focused’ on making a great deal with Iran, Hegseth says
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Saturday that President Donald Trump is “laser-focused” on reaching a “great deal” with Iran.
“Any deal that the president is willing to make, he's only going to make it if he believes it's a great deal for our country and the security of the world,” Hegseth said before departing Singapore, where he attended the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major Indo-Pacific security summit.
Hegseth said there is “only one president who is willing to lay it out on the line and ensure after 47 years that Iran is not capable" of having a nuclear weapon.
“You saw it in how he's been talking about it publicly, those goal posts haven't shifted at all, which is the expectation [of] the American people, and what we've stated to Iran. So, in the middle of negotiations, the closer they come to that reality, both now and into the future, the closer we're going to get to that kind of a deal,” Hegseth continued.
“Also having been in the room with him, I know he means it when he looks in the camera in the Cabinet Room and said they can either do this now through a deal, and we think we're a good place to make that deal, or they can deal with the War Department, and we are prepared,” Hegseth added. “We're postured even stronger today than we were on day one to address it that way if we have to, but he'd prefer not to.”
“So, Iran knows very, very clearly what our expectations are, and that's on the negotiating team to deliver. They're coming in our direction. The talks have been productive. I think they know where it needs to go, and I'm quite confident with this with our president, who makes nothing but great deals, that ultimately it'll be something he's proud to defend, that ensures that Iran, which everyone knows, should not have a nuclear weapon,” Hegseth concluded.
IDF said it destroyed launcher that Hezbollah used to fire rockets toward northern Israel
Israel’s military said overnight that it destroyed a launcher “from which Hezbollah fired rockets toward northern Israel.”
The IDF posted a short video on X showing the strike. Israeli forces have been hitting back in response to provocations from the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group in recent weeks.
The IDF later said, “Following the alerts that were activated a short while ago in several areas in the north of the country, a launch that crossed from Lebanon into the country's territory was intercepted.”
IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen Eyal Zamir had said Friday that 2,500 Hezbollah terrorists have been eliminated since the start of Operation Roaring Lion against Iran on Feb. 28.
Hezbollah rocket barrage damages Christian church in southern Lebanon, IDF video shows
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released video Friday that it says shows Hezbollah rockets striking a church in southern Lebanon overnight.
According to the IDF, several rockets launched by Hezbollah hit Saint Georges Orthodox Church in the Christian village of Marjaayoun.
“This incident further proves how Hezbollah continues to endanger and harm Lebanese civilians,” the IDF said in a statement.
The military added that Israeli troops were not operating near the church at the time of the strike.
The IDF also released photos it says shows the impact on the church building.
Yesterday's Fox News Digital live blog offers additional coverage of the conflict with Iran.
Fox News Digital's Efrat Lachter contributed to this reporting.
Hegseth warns US ready to strike Iran again if talks fail during Singapore remarks
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in remarks the U.S. military is prepared to resume strikes against Iran if negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program collapse.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, Hegseth said he spoke with President Donald Trump Friday morning and stressed the administration is prepared to walk away from negotiations if Iran refuses to accept restrictions on its nuclear ambitions.
“Any deal will be a good one. A great one,” Hegseth said Trump told him. “And if Iran doesn’t want to make a great deal that ensures they don’t get a nuclear weapon, they can deal with the guy on my left,” he added, referring to the War Department.
“We are more than capable,” Hegseth said of potential renewed military action. “Our stockpiles are more than suited for that both there and around the globe.”
The remarks came hours after Trump met in the Situation Room to weigh next steps in negotiations with Iran.
Trump Situation Room meeting on Iran lasted roughly two hours, no formal announcement yet made
President Donald Trump’s Situation Room meeting on Iran concluded Friday after approximately two hours, according to a White House official.
“The Situation Room meeting has concluded and lasted approximately two hours,” the official told Fox News. “President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his redlines. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.”
Trump earlier said he was heading to the Situation Room to make a “final determination” on next steps involving Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House declared a photo and travel lid at approximately 6:14 p.m. ET.
Fox News' Patrick Ward contributed to this reporting.
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