Hegseth says US military remains ready to strike Iran

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military remains prepared for potential military action against Iran, while President Donald Trump expressed confidence that Washington and Tehran are close to reaching an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear programme.

In a post on X, Hegseth said the U.S. military had been fully prepared to carry out a major operation and remained on high alert, Caliber.Az reports.

"Fact. The Department of War was ready to go — and remains ready — at levels not seen since World War 2. Locked and loaded," Hegseth wrote.

Fact.

The @DeptofWar was ready to go — and remains ready — at levels not seen since World War 2.

Locked and loaded. https://t.co/RzibCDfn05

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) August 2, 2026

His remarks came in response to comments by Trump, who said a planned U.S. strike on Iran would have been unprecedented in scale.

"We had an attack that would have been the biggest attack since WORLD WAR II. It would have been DISASTROUS FOR THEM," Trump said.

The president later announced that U.S. and Iranian representatives were expected to hold talks on August 3, saying he believed an agreement was within reach.

According to Trump, the discussions are expected to focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and addressing concerns over Iran's nuclear programme.

By Saboina Mammadli