‘Our job is to be strong’: Pete Hegseth says Trump stance on Iran holds firm as NSC heads into Situation Room
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” that President Donald Trump’s nuclear deal with Iran is still “on the table” as the National Security Council (NSC) heads to the situation room.
Following Trump’s post on Truth Social urging “everyone to immediately evacuate Tehran,” reports indicated the president had called the NSC together as he prepared to leave the G7 summit early. Discussing the situation, Fox News host Jesse Watters asked Hegseth if Trump was still “aiming” for a nuclear deal with Iran, to which he responded, “of course.”
“The president, as he said today, his position has not changed. What you’re watching in real time is peace through strength and America first. Our job is to be strong. We are postured defensively in the region to be strong in pursuit of a peace deal,” Hegseth said. “We certainly hope that’s what happens here.”
“America first means we’re going to defend American personnel and American interests. So when you see jets and you see air defense assets and counter UAS [Unmanned Aircraft System] assets, that’s because my job as the secretary of Defense is to ensure that our people are safe and that we’re strong so that we can set the conditions for a deal,” Hegseth added. “President Trump’s made it clear it’s on the table. The question is whether Iran will take it.”
Tensions broke out between Israel and Iran on Thursday after Israel launched preemptive strikes against multiple military targets in Iran. Following the initial reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the country’s “Rising Lion” operation, saying it would continue until the “threat” of Iran’s potential nuclear weapon is removed.
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Watters then asked whether “all options are on the table” for the Iranians if a deal is still possible, asking Hegseth what a potential agreement could now look like.
“What it looks like right now is we’re vigilant, we’re prepared, and we’ve messaged consistently from the beginning that we’re in the region to defend our people and our assets,” Hegseth said. “Israel took an action out of self-defense. We believe that Iran, as the president has said from the beginning, should not have a nuclear weapon. That position hasn’t changed.”
“They can give it up peacefully. That position hasn’t changed. As a result, right now, we’ve got assets in the region, and we’re going to defend them. We’re going to be strong in the process,” Hegseth said. “So people are reading into a lot of aspects right now. We’re strong, we’re prepared, we’re defensive and President Trump hopes there can be peace.”
As Iran and Israel have continued trading strikes since Thursday, reports on Monday indicated Iran may be open to negotiations after its military leadership and nuclear sites were heavily damaged.
Netanyahu told ABC News shortly after, however, that Israel would not pursue peace talks, accusing Iran of wanting to “keep on building their nuclear weapons and building their mass ballistic missile arsenal.”
Following Israel’s first strike, Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement saying the U.S. was not involved. Trump later clarified that while the U.S. did not participate, he had been aware of the strikes in advance.
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