War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday the US could resume battering Iran if necessary – and has plenty of arms to unleash an overwhelming arsenal.
“Our ability to recommence if necessary … we are more than capable,” Hegseth told the Shangri-la defense conference in Singapore.
“We’re focused on being postured and prepared to re-engage if we have to.”
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on May 30, 2026. AFP via Getty Images
A US sailor signals a Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft to hold for launch on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush operating in support of Operation Epic Fury, May 6, 2026. ZUMAPRESS.comJoined by other top world defense officials – but not China’s – Hegseth addressed the US’s ability to supply its allies in the region while at war with Tehran, even after the Trump administration suspended a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan.
“Our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe, so we’re in a very good place,” the head of the Pentagon added.
“Right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury – which we have plenty,” Navy Secretary Hung Cao told senators May 22, speaking of the opposition that took out Iranian leaders and targeted Iran’s missile and nuclear sites.
He spoke Saturday with still no word on whether President Trump would OK an Iran peace deal as the internation community awaits his “final determination.”
Trump huddled with his security team Friday in the Situation Room but did not announce a decision.
Hegseth said the Iranians “are coming in our direction” – indicating the situation wasn’t finalized. He said Trump was “patient” and wants to make a “great deal” that ensures the Islamic Republic regime does not get a nuclear weapon.
A view of a residential building damaged by a strike, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, March 23, 2026. via REUTERSOman’s authorities, meanwhile, posted an alert Saturday saying they saw a “floating object” – an expected mine – in the Strait of Hormuz, and urged all seafarers to “exercise the utmost caution.”
That came after US Central Command said it had struck Iranian mine-laying vessels Monday in a “defensive” action. Centcom warned Friday that Tehran was seeking to “impede mine clearance” and that it would target any vessels engaged in mine-laying activity.
An Iranian lawmaker claimed its parliament was plannin to approve a bill to formalize “sovereignty” over the critical strait – which Trump says must remain free and open.
Pro-government demonstrators chant slogans as one holds a picture of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, May 4, 2026. APHegseth, who Trump said “loves war” at a White House cabinet meeting Wednesday, echoed Teddy Roosevelt’s diplomacyon Saturday, saying the US would carry a “big stick” but “speak softly.”
“Rules are great, but if you can’t back them up with hard power, the rules are not worth the paper they are written on,” he said.
“We don’t need more conferences, we need more combat power,” Hegseth added, calling for “more ships and more subs.”
The Iran deal under consideration would extend a temporary truce reached on April 8 for another 60 days.
A billboard featuring President Trump and the Strait of Hormuz in Valiasr Square, Tehran, May 28, 2026. AFP via Getty ImagesA $300 billion “investment fund” for Iran has also emerged as a potential part of the deal, accoding the New York Times. An Iranian official described it as a “reconstruction” program, after the country began peace talks with the US by demanding reparations.
Trump’s negotiators had previously floated real estate investments in Iran, while the Iranians countered with joint energy ventures with the US, the outlet reported.
Trump vowed Friday, however, that “no money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form” as part of the deal.
