Pentagon chief says US ready to restart strikes on Iran if no deal reached

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday that Washington is ready to restart strikes on Iran if negotiations fail to produce an agreement.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Hegseth said talks between the two sides were continuing but that major differences remained.

What did Hegseth say about restarting strikes on Iran?

Hegseth said the US retains full military capacity to resume the conflict if needed. "Our ability to recommence if necessary... we are more than capable," he told delegates at the Singapore forum.

He added that the US is rapidly scaling up its defense industrial base to ensure all operational plans are "properly funded throughout the world."

What deal is Trump considering with Iran?

President Donald Trump is weighing a proposal that would extend an early-April truce for another 60 days, giving negotiators time to forge a permanent end to the conflict. Hegseth said Trump was "patient" and would only accept a "great deal" that ensures Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. On Friday, Trump said he would convene in a secure White House room to make a "final determination" on the proposal.

Hegseth also pushed back against suggestions that the Iran conflict had drawn US attention away from the Asia-Pacific region. "We can do two things at one time," he said, adding that munitions production was being scaled up to two, three, or four times current output.

The remarks came at Asia's premier forum for defense leaders, where Hegseth also addressed China's military build-up and urged allies to increase defense spending.

What has the US-Iran war cost so far?

The war, launched by the US and Israel on February 28, has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon. It has also caused significant global economic disruption by pushing up energy prices, driven largely by Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A deal to reopen the strait and end the conflict has remained elusive despite weeks of intermittent negotiations.