'Question Is If Iran Will Take It': US Defence Secretary Says Nuclear Deal Still On The Table
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Pete Hegseth said United States is 'postured defensively in the region to be strong---in pursuit of a peace deal'
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump's position on the nuclear deal 'has not changed" and the question now is 'if Iran will take it".
In an interview with Fox News, when asked about the nuclear deal with Iran amid the country's escalating conflict with Israel, Hegseth said: 'What you are 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. And we certainly hope that's what happens here."
Noting the rise in hostilities in the region, the defence secretary pushed for 'America First'. 'America First means we will defend our personnel and our interests. So, when you see jets and air defence assets, that's because my job, as secretary defence, is that our people are safe and we are strong so that we can set the conditions for a deal."
He added: 'President Trump has made it clear that it's on the table. The question is whether Iran will take it."
Hegseth's assertion comes amid a new round of negotiations between Iran and the United States in Oman being cancelled in the backdrop of Iran's continued suspicions of US' intentions.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian recently accused the United States of 'dishonesty" for continuing to support Israel while also engaging in nuclear discussions with Tehran. 'The Zionist regime's coordination with the United States in its aggression against Iranian territory in the midst of negotiations is a sign of America's dishonesty and unreliability," Pezeshkian told the Pakistani prime minister in a phone call, according to a statement from his office.
First Published:
June 17, 2025, 08:30 IST
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