The United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, stated on Thursday (January 29th) that the US military is prepared to execute any decision made by President Trump regarding Iran to ensure Iran does not possess nuclear capabilities.
During a cabinet meeting held on Thursday, President Trump allowed Hegseth to discuss the deployment of a large fleet near Iran by the US military. Hegseth emphasized that Iran “should not seek nuclear capability. We will be prepared to execute any requests from the President to the Department of War.”
The Secretary of War stressed the importance of rebuilding America’s deterrence. He said, “Mr. President, as many other cabinet members have mentioned, you must rebuild the perception of America to the outside world. And in the Department of War, this means rebuilding deterrence.”
Hegseth mentioned that the war in Ukraine and the attack launched by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023, would not have occurred during President Trump’s term.
“Therefore, we must now reshape the enemy’s perception of us,” he said. “When President Trump says ‘Iran, you cannot have nuclear weapons,’ he is serious. We sent B-2 bombers flying halfway across the globe, and they were oblivious. When he says ‘we will no longer tolerate drug trafficking in our hemisphere, we will treat it as Al-Qaeda in the Western Hemisphere,’ he is also serious, and we are taking action.”
Hegseth also gave examples of how the military will rigorously execute the President’s orders. He said that when the President demands border security be ensured, the military is proud to work alongside the Department of Homeland Security to accomplish this mission. This is also the case with Iran; the Pentagon will ensure the President has all the chips to make deals. The Department of War will be ready to execute all of the President’s commands.
According to Reuters, US officials have stated that Trump is evaluating various options but has not yet decided whether to strike Iran.
In recent weeks, the current regime in Iran has brutally suppressed large-scale protests within the country, leading to a sharp escalation of tensions between the US and Iran.
On Wednesday (January 28th), Trump warned Iran to return to the negotiating table quickly to reach an agreement on the nuclear issue, or else the next military strike against Iran will be more intense than the attack in June last year.
On June 21, 2025, the US Air Force conducted a successful airstrike on Iranian nuclear facilities using B-2 stealth bombers. The Pentagon stated that seven B-2 bombers participated in the operation “Midnight Hammer,” shocking the world.