US Pentagon chief says military ready to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear bomb

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday that the American military is prepared to act if diplomatic efforts fail to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

While emphasizing that Washington prefers a negotiated outcome, Hegseth warned that the United States can “go far, to go deep and to go big” if needed.

“We don’t want to do that,” he said during an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, “but if we have to, we will—to prevent the nuclear bomb in Iran’s hands.”

His comments came a day after U.S. and Iranian diplomats began indirect talks in Oman, marking the first round of renewed dialogue aimed at resolving long-standing Western concerns over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Hegseth called the Oman talks “productive” and “a good step,” though he did not provide specifics on the progress made.

President Donald Trump echoed the Pentagon chief’s stance earlier in the week, saying military action was “absolutely” on the table, especially if negotiations collapse.

“If it requires military, we’re going to have military,” Trump told reporters Wednesday, adding that Israel would “obviously be very much involved in that—be the leader of that.”

In late March, Trump issued a stark warning: “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing.”

The current round of diplomacy follows Trump’s 2018 decision to withdraw the U.S. from the multilateral Iran nuclear deal forged under President Barack Obama. That deal placed strict limits on Iran’s uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief.

Analysts warn that Iran may now be only weeks away from having enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon, though Tehran continues to deny pursuing nuclear arms.

The Biden administration had previously attempted to revive the deal, but efforts stalled before Trump returned to office in January.