Was Trump going to order attacks if deadline for Iran had crossed? This is what Hegseth says

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday (April 8) that the US had its “targets locked and loaded” and was prepared to launch attacks on Iran if a deadline had been crossed, asserting that the show of force ultimately pushed Tehran into agreeing to a ceasefire deal.

Speaking at a Pentagon briefing, Hegseth framed the standoff as a decisive American victory, claiming that sustained military pressure and threats to Iran’s energy exports forced the country to the negotiating table. “This threat brought Iran to the table,” he said, adding that US actions had directly influenced the outcome of the talks.

Hegseth also outlined what he described as key terms of the ceasefire announced on Tuesday, stating that any nuclear material Iran “should not have” would be removed. However, Iranian officials have not publicly acknowledged such provisions in their own statements.

“Under the terms, any nuclear material they should not have will be removed,” Hegseth said, reinforcing Washington’s long-standing position against Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons. US President Donald Trump echoed that stance in a post on Truth Social, saying the United States would work with Iran to “dig up and remove” stockpiles of uranium that had been targeted during recent American air strikes.

“The president has been clear from the beginning, there will be no Iranian nuclear weapons, period, full stop. Other presidents said it, President Trump did it,” Hegseth added.

The defence secretary further described the US military campaign, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, as a “historic and overwhelming victory”, claiming it had severely degraded Iran’s military capabilities. “By any measure, Epic Fury decimated Iran’s military and rendered it combat ineffective for years to come,” he said.

Despite the confident tone, US intelligence assessments suggest Iran retains a significant portion of its arsenal. According to reports, roughly half of Iran’s missile launchers remain intact, along with thousands of one-way attack drones.

Hegseth acknowledged these capabilities but sought to downplay their impact. “What little they have left, buried in bunkers, is all they will have,” he said. “They can still shoot, we know that. Their command and control is so decimated they cannot really talk and coordinate, so they still may shoot here and there but that would be very, very unwisem” he added.