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The United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, stated this Saturday from Singapore that Washington is "more than capable" of resuming military strikes against Iran if ongoing negotiations fail to reach an agreement, as reported by Reuters.
Hegseth spoke at the Shangri-La Dialogue, the leading defense forum in the Asia-Pacific, while negotiators from both countries are working to resolve substantial differences that are blocking a permanent agreement.
"Our ability to restart if necessary... we are more than capable," stated the head of the Pentagon. "Our arsenals are more than ready for that, both there and around the world, so we are in a very good position," he added.
Hegseth also emphasized that the United States can simultaneously address the conflict with Iran and its commitments in the Asia-Pacific region: “We can do two things at once. We are rapidly accelerating our defense industrial base to produce double, triple, or quadruple the amount of munitions very soon, in order to ensure that all our operational plans are properly funded worldwide.”
The secretary also noted that President Donald Trump is "patient" and wants to reach a "great deal" that ensures Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.
On Friday, Trump announced he would meet in a secure room at the White House to make a "final determination" on a proposal to extend the current truce for another 60 days, giving negotiators time to forge a permanent agreement.
According to Axios, the proposal included a memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and initiate discussions on the Iranian nuclear program.
Hegseth's statements come at a time of heightened tension. In the days leading up to this, Iran launched a Fateh-110 ballistic missile at the Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait; although it was intercepted by Kuwaiti air defenses, the debris injured at least five Americans and severely damaged two MQ-9 Reaper drones, each valued at about 30 million dollars.
The conflict, framed within the Operation Epic Fury, was jointly launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, 2026, with the stated goal of destroying Iran's nuclear capabilities, ballistic missiles, drones, navy, and defense industrial base.
After 38 days of operations, a two-week ceasefire was announced on April 8, mediated by Pakistan.
Formal conversations in Islamabad failed on April 11 and 12 after more than twenty hours of negotiations, primarily due to disagreement over the Iranian nuclear program. In May, Trump described an Iranian response as "totally unacceptable" and characterized the ceasefire as "incredibly fragile."
The conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths, primarily in Iran and Lebanon, driven up global energy prices due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and has cost the United States around $25 billion by the end of April 2026.
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