WASHINGTON — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth issued a blunt warning to Iran and highlighted President Trump’s aggressive military posture during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday — as the US surges warships and air assets across the Middle East in a growing military presence.
“They [Iran] should not pursue nuclear capabilities, and we will be prepared to deliver whatever this president expects of the War Department,” Hegseth said.
He boasted about the recent US operation that captured Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro and his wife, calling it an unprecedented display of American power.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth looks on as President Donald Trump hosts a cabinet meeting on Thursday. AFP via Getty Images
“No other military in the world could have executed the most sophisticated, powerful raid — not just in American history — I would say in world history,” Hegseth said. “No other president would have been willing to empower those warriors that way.”
“That sends a message to every capital around the world that when President Trump speaks, he means business,” he added. “We are reestablishing deterrence at the War Department.”
Hegseth also pointed to Operation Midnight Hammer, the Trump-ordered strike campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, saying the administration is determined to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“We’re having to rebuild how our enemies perceive us,” he said. “And when President Trump said, ‘We’re not getting a nuclear Iran — you won’t have a nuclear bomb,’ he meant it.”
Hegseth’s remarks came as the US dramatically expands its naval presence across the Middle East, fueling speculation that strikes on Iran’s radical Islamist government could be coming.
It comes a day after President Trump on Truth Social said the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln had arrived in the Middle East, noting it was part of a “massive Armada is heading to Iran.”
The USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group arrived in the Middle East region on Monday as part of President Trump’s “armada.” U.S. Navy
“It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela,” he said. “Like with Venezuela, it is ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.”
Trump warned that “time is running out” for the Iranian regime to negotiate “a fair and equitable deal” that would see Iran give up its ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons.
The Abraham Lincoln is escorted by its strike group, including guided-missile destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., USS Spruance and USS Michael Murphy.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black also recently entered the region and was tracked sailing through the Suez Canal toward the Gulf, according to MarineTraffic global ship-tracking intelligence.
Two additional destroyers, the USS McFaul and USS Mitscher, were spotted near the Strait of Hormuz — which borders Iran — while the USS Bulkeley and USS Roosevelt also sailed in the region, according to BBC News.
P-8 Poseidon, E-11A and E-3G Sentry surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft in the Middle East have also been spotted in the region, according to Flightradar24 tracking data.
US Navy Osprey aircraft were also spotted in the Gulf toward Oman, according to BBC Verify. The planes are known to operate from the Abraham Lincoln, raising speculation that the carrier may be sailing nearby.
Ospreys — aircraft capable of vertical takeoff like helicopters while flying at airplane speeds — were tracked twice this week off Oman’s coast, potentially signaling increased carrier-based operations.The Navy does not confirm exact ship locations, citing operational security.
Hegseth said the expanded naval deployment is proof of the Trump administration’s “Peace through Strength” mission to project military dominance and rebuild deterrence that he said was lost during the Biden administration.
“We are reestablishing deterrence at the War Department,” he said.