US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told CBS that the United States is on track to sign a deal with Iran, saying the question is not whether an agreement will be reached but when. He added that he does not expect Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburb to prevent the deal, and called on Iran to restrain Hezbollah if it wants the agreement to hold.
In an interview with CBS aired at 19:46 Jerusalem on Monday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the United States is on track to sign a deal with Iran, describing the timeline as a question of 'when, not if.' He explicitly said he does not expect ongoing Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut's southern suburb to derail the diplomatic track, and stressed that if Iran wants the agreement to remain in force, it must restrain Hezbollah. The remarks expand the framework of the administration's diplomatic track from the Israel-Hezbollah front, which Hegseth had previously described as a matter of 'when, not if' at 17:37 Jerusalem, to a direct US-Iran understanding.
As The Zioneer reported at 17:37 Jerusalem on Monday, Hegseth first stated that a deal between Israel and Hezbollah is a question of timing, not whether an agreement will be reached, based on Israeli media reports. Earlier, at 17:37 Jerusalem, Hegseth had explicitly called the Iran deal a question of 'when, not if' according to Israeli sources, and described Israel's response to Hezbollah as 'very restrained.' The earliest version of the thread, also at 17:37 Jerusalem, quoted Hegseth speaking to an official from Lebanon's Parliament, saying the same timeline assessment. Over the course of the thread, the source expanded from a single journalist's account to multiple Israeli news organizations, and the assessment was progressively attributed to the Pentagon's characterization.
The Zioneer reported on June 10, 2026 at 23:54 Jerusalem that Hegseth said, "If we have to negotiate through bombs, we'll negotiate through bombs," reinforcing the administration's military pressure campaign against Iran. This dual-track approach — combining major strikes with a stated willingness to reach a diplomatic settlement — has been a consistent theme in Hegseth's public statements, as covered by The Zioneer.
A key question remains unaddressed: what specific terms or framework the prospective US-Iran deal would contain. Hegseth did not outline any details of the agreement beyond stating that talks will continue and that more advanced negotiations are expected to follow.
5 developments
- StrongRubio: US on track to sign Iran deal, Israeli strikes won't derail process
- DevelopingUS Treasury Secretary: Iran deal could be signed by early next week
- DevelopingHegseth: If we have to negotiate through bombs, we'll negotiate through bombs
- ConfirmedHegseth warns US will hit Iran hard on American terms
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