Hegseth Warns US Ready to Restart Iran Strikes as Trump Delays Deal Decision

Hegseth described President Trump as "laser-focused" on a diplomatic solution but emphasized that the alternative is squarely with the Defense Department. "They can either do this now through a deal, and we think we're in a good place to make that deal, or they can deal with the War Department, and we are prepared," he stated . The US force posture in the region, he added, is "even stronger today than we were at the beginning of this conflict" .

Trump's Demands: What It Will Take to Get a Deal

President Trump publicly laid out his non-negotiable terms in a Truth Social post on Friday, May 29, while the Situation Room meeting was underway. The core conditions are:

• Iran must permanently renounce nuclear weapons. Trump demanded that Iran agree never to possess a nuclear weapon and work with the US to jointly excavate and destroy its highly enriched uranium, with oversight from the International Atomic Energy Agency .
• The Strait of Hormuz must reopen immediately. The critical waterway must be unrestricted and free of tolls .
• Iran must remove all mines from the Strait of Hormuz that the US hasn’t already cleared .

Beyond Trump’s public ultimatums, the draft memorandum of understanding negotiated between US and Iranian intermediaries includes a 60-day ceasefire extension, sanctions waivers allowing Iran to sell oil, and a framework for follow-on talks to permanently limit Iran’s nuclear program .

A White House official reinforced Trump’s position after the Situation Room meeting, saying the president "will only make a deal that is good for America. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon."

The Situation Room Meeting: Two Hours, No Decision

On May 29, Trump convened his national security team in the White House Situation Room for what was described as a meeting to make a "final determination" on the Iran proposal . The session lasted approximately two hours .

When it ended, no decision was announced. A White House statement repeated Trump's red lines but offered no timeline. The president subsequently departed for his golf course in Virginia, and by the next afternoon, the administration remained silent on the status of the deal . Iran simultaneously maintained that the agreement was not yet finalized .

The indecision has drawn scrutiny. The White House’s silence, according to one analyst, reflected “massive indecisiveness” over the conflict’s end goal .

The Attack on Ali Al Salem Air Base

The diplomatic uncertainty was compounded by violence on the ground. In the hours preceding Hegseth's speech, a Fateh-110 ballistic missile targeted Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait . Kuwaiti air defenses intercepted the missile, but debris rained down on the base .

Five American military personnel and contractors suffered minor injuries. One MQ-9 Reaper drone, valued at roughly $30 million, was destroyed, and a second was severely damaged . US Central Command condemned the incident as an “egregious ceasefire violation” and vowed to defend allied partners .

The strike was the latest flashpoint in a conflict that has repeatedly spilled into Kuwait, a nation that hosts approximately 13,500 American forces . Ali Al Salem Air Base, a major airlift hub and gateway for US combat power across the Middle East, has been hit multiple times since the war began in February 2026 .

What Comes Next

As of May 31, the tentative ceasefire extension remains unsigned. The draft terms—including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, mine removal within 30 days, and a path to nuclear negotiations—appear settled on paper .

But with Trump yet to grant approval, and Iran insisting a deal hasn’t been confirmed, the military option Hegseth described remains on the table. The Pentagon chief’s message from Singapore was clear: if diplomacy fails, the US is not merely willing to return to combat—it is already postured to do so.