US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday evening that when the siege on Iran is fully lifted, Washington will allow trade to flow — but if Iran fails to comply, the US can reimpose an "iron siege." He added that the US has long-held bases in the region, most of which will remain as is, and that troop levels will be adjusted as needed, according to a statement attributed to him.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined Washington's post-siege posture toward Iran on Thursday, saying trade would resume only as long as Tehran complies with its commitments — and an 'iron siege' remains ready if it does not.
The remarks, attributed to Hegseth, come amid an ongoing period of heightened US-Iran tensions. As The Zioneer reported Thursday at 12:55, Hegseth had previously threatened an 'iron siege' if Iran violated nuclear deal terms. Over the past week, similar warnings have been issued by Israeli officials; Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday evening that the IDF has been ordered to prepare for another operation in Iran if needed, as The Zioneer reported at 20:06.
Hegseth's latest statement appears to frame the coming easing of the blockade as conditional rather than unconditional, preserving the option of re-escalation. The precise timeline and terms of the lifting were not specified. The comments were attributed to Hegseth without an on-record press conference or official transcript noted in the available reports.
2 developments
- DevelopingHegseth says US will keep large forces in region, reinstate Iran siege if commitments unmet
- ConfirmedHegseth warns US will hit Iran hard on American terms
- StrongHegseth says US on track to sign deal with Iran, expects talks to continue
- ConfirmedHegseth vows US will hit Iran hard across key facilities tonight
Source and signal
- Internal intake