US defence chief: "Any deal will be a good deal on Iran"

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington remains patient in pursuing a nuclear agreement with Iran, while warning that the military is prepared to act if negotiations fail.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, May 30, Hegseth said President Donald Trump has not yet announced whether a peace deal with Tehran has been reached, but emphasised that any eventual agreement must prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

“Status as of right now is that any deal will be a good deal,” Hegseth said during a question-and-answer session following his speech.

He added that Trump is deliberately taking time to ensure the outcome meets US objectives. “I had a chance to talk to President Trump this morning. He wanted me to reiterate how patient he is in ensuring that with America undertaking this kind of historic endeavour, any deal will be a good one, a great one, and he’s patient in the pursuit of that,” Hegseth said.

At the same time, Hegseth issued a warning to Tehran, saying that failure to reach an agreement could trigger a military response. “If Iran doesn’t want to make a great deal that ensures they don’t get a nuclear weapon,” then Iran can “deal with” the US military, he said.

Later, responding to a reporter’s question about his earlier remarks, Hegseth pushed back on the interpretation of his statement. “I love the disingenuous questions from the disingenuous press. I said it will be a good deal,” he said.

Hegseth also stressed that US forces are fully prepared for a potential escalation if ordered, noting that existing weapons stockpiles are sufficient to carry out military objectives.

Trump has yet to publicly confirm whether an agreement with Iran has been finalized.

By Tamilla Hasanova