Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has warned that American forces are “locked and loaded” to attack Iran again if it does not agree to a deal.
The US defence secretary warned the Iranian regime to “choose wisely”, as Pakistani mediators work to bring officials from Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table.
“We are reloading with more power than ever before, and better intelligence,” he told a news briefing. “We are locked and loaded on your critical dual-use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation, and on your energy industry. We’d rather not have to do it.”
Officials from the US, including President Donald Trump, have launched repeated threats against Iran in their attempts to push the regime towards accepting a deal on its terms.
High-level talks on Saturday, mediated by Pakistani officials, failed to produce an agreement with both sides appearing to remain far apart on key issues. A delegation from Pakistan arrived in Iran on Wednesday to convey a message from the US, but no date has been set for a resumption in talks, nor confirmation that they will actually take place.
Continuing his warning, Mr Hegseth said: “You, Iran, can choose a prosperous future, a golden bridge, and we hope that you do for the people of Iran. But if Iran chooses poorly, then they will have a blockade and bombs dropping on infrastructure, power and energy.”
At the centre of the ongoing gap in position between the US and Iran is the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply typically flows. The US imposed a blockade of the Strait earlier this week, seeking to ramp up pressure on the Iranian economy.
But Washington has expressed optimism that the war is nearing an end, believing that the blockade could push Tehran to its limit.
Addressing the Iranian leadership, Mr Hegseth said that the blockade “is the polite way that this can go”. General Dan Caine, the chairman of the US military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was present at the press briefing, said American forces are “ready to resume major combat operations at literally a moment’s notice”.
On Thursday, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi said the priority was to push the two sides back towards the negotiating table, noting the “serious impacts the protracted conflict has had on international energy security and the security of shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz”.
Beijing had told Iran earlier on Thursday that it must reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
It came one day after Trump vowed to reopen the strait “for China” in an unusual concession to a trade rival, promising the “situation will never happen again”. He claimed Xi Jinping would “give me a big, fat hug when I get there in a few weeks”, referring to a planned visit to Beijing.
In the press conference, Gen Caine said that US Navy ships would pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel that attempted to provide material support to Iran.
Such ships would be intercepted, and he warned that “if you do not comply with this blockade, we will use force”. Enforcement, Gen Caine added, would occur inside Iran’s territorial seas and in international waters.
The Navy said in a statement that any ships which it believes are trying to reach Iranian territory will be “subject to belligerent right to visit and search”.
“These vessels, regardless of location, are subject to visit, board, search, and seizure,” it added.
Gen Caine said no ships have been boarded by US forces so far.
Meanwhile, Trump held a phone call with the Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, according to an Axios reporter.
It comes after Israel and Lebanon held their first direct talks in decades earlier this week. Further talks are expected to take place on Thursday.
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