Pentagon chief: US "more than capable" of renewing Iran conflict

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Washington remained fully prepared to resume military operations against Iran if necessary, while also expressing concern over China's expanding military capabilities during a major security forum in Singapore.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier defence summit, Hegseth said the United States had sufficient military resources to re-engage in the conflict with Iran despite ongoing efforts to secure a peace agreement, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

"Our ability to recommence if necessary is we are more than capable," Hegseth said. "Our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe because of how we balance exquisite and more plentiful munitions."

His remarks came as efforts to reach a peace deal between Washington and Tehran remained unresolved following talks in Washington.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he could approve a peace agreement with Iran involving significant concessions from Tehran, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz and dismantling the country's nuclear programme. Iranian officials, however, indicated that no final agreement had been reached.

Addressing regional security issues, Hegseth said there was "rightful alarm" over China's military expansion but stressed that the United States was not seeking confrontation with Beijing.

"When we look across the region today, there is rightful alarm regarding China’s historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond," he told delegates from around 45 countries attending the summit.

Washington does not seek "needless confrontation in the region," Hegseth said, but instead aims for "a genuinely stable equilibrium [in Asia] that works for Americans as well as our allies".

He added that the United States sought "a favourable but durable balance of power in which no state, including China, can impose its hegemony and hold the security or prosperity of our nation and our allies in question".

By Aghakazim Guliyev