US ‘postured defensively’ in Middle East as Israel-Iran conflict escalates: Pentagon chief
United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reiterated President Donald Trump’s position that Iran should not have nuclear weapons.
United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the US is postured defensively in the Middle East region as the conflict between Iran and Israel escalates. He added that the United States President Donald Trump is still seeking to strike a nuclear deal with Iran despite the ongoing tensions.
Hegseth made the remarks while talking to Fox News. When asked whether Trump was still aiming to reach a nuclear deal with Iran, Hegseth responded with, “Of course”.
He added that the US is postured defensively in the conflict zone in pursuit of a peace deal.
Track live updates of Israel-Iran conflict here.
“We are postured defensively in the region to be strong in pursuit of a peace deal. And we certainly hope that's what happens here," Hegseth said.
“America first means we’re gonna defend American personnel and American interests, so when you see jets and when you see air defence assets, that is because my job as Secretary of Defence is to ensure that our people are safe and that we’re strong, so that we can set the conditions for a deal. President Trump has made it clear that it’s on the table, the question is whether Iran will take it,” he added.
Hegseth reiterated President Trump’s position that Iran should not have nuclear weapons.
Also read: Fear of Israel-Iran war grows as US, China issue grim 'evacuate Tehran' warning
According to a White House aide, the US was not attacking Iran, reported Reuters.
Hegseth’s remarks come hours after President Trump said in a social media post that everyone should evacuate Tehran.
“Iran should have signed the “deal” I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” he posted on Truth Social.
Also read: Trump preps situation room: What does it mean for Iran-Israel conflict?
White House’s cryptic post
The White House has also shared a cryptic post after Trump cut short his trip to the G7 summit in Canada by a day and left for the US on Monday night.
The post featured a video of Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump walking together and saluting the US Army and was captioned with a quote attributed to Trump saying, “Whenever duty calls and whatever danger comes, the American soldier will be there. The USA will always have the grace of Almighty God and the iron will of the U.S. Army. Thanks to their extraordinary service and devotion, 250 years later, America stands tall..."
Iran Israel conflict enters day 5
The conflict of Iran Israel doesn’t seem nearing a de-escalation. For the fifth day straight, both the countries traded missiles and drones. Evacuation warning was issued for Tehran before Israel pounded it with strikes. On Monday, the headquarters of Iran’s state television broadcaster were also hit.
So far, Iran has reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians and Israel said that 24 of its civilians have been killed in the past five days.
