Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speak during a press briefing at the Pentagon on March 31, 2026. (Alexander Kubitza/Department of Defense)
ARLINGTON, Va. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the nation’s negotiations to end the war with Iran are “real” and “gaining strength.”
“I can tell you, having been with (U.S. special envoys) Steve (Witkoff) and Jared (Kushner) and Vice President (JD Vance), (Secretary of State) Marco (Rubio), and many others yesterday, they are very real,” Hegseth said during a news conference Tuesday at the Pentagon. “They are ongoing, they’re active and I think gaining strength. And we appreciate that.”
Operation Epic Fury has entered its second month and has decimated much of Iran’s weapons stockpiles and naval power. But Iran still maintains a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, sharply restricting traffic and allowing only limited oil shipments through. The waterway’s closure has caused oil and gas prices to surge, sparking concerns about wider implications for the global economy. The average price of gasoline in the U.S. rose above $4 a gallon on Tuesday.
“President [Donald] Trump will make a deal. If Iran is not willing, then the United States War Department will continue with even more intensity,” Hegseth said, using the Trump administration’s preferred name for the Department of Defense.
During the monthlong conflict, Trump has alternated between promising a quick end and vowing to expand it, as the Pentagon surges forces to the region.
The president on Tuesday had a message for U.S. allies whose access to oil has been impacted since the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran broke out.
“All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday.
The social media post came after U.S. strikes hit Isfahan, a city that is home to one of Iran’s main nuclear sites, sending a massive fireball into the sky, and Tehran attacked a fully loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker in the Persian Gulf, The Associated Press reported.
Hegseth echoed Trump’s message to the world to help with the Strait of Hormuz, saying that other “countries should pay attention when the president speaks.”
“There are countries around the world who ought to be prepared to step up on this critical waterway as well. It’s not just the United States Navy,” said Hegseth. “Last time I checked, there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy that could be prepared to do things like that as well. He’s pointing out this is an international waterway that we use less than most.“
The secretary declined to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to NATO’s collective defense, saying that would be up to the president after European allies had failed to stand with the U.S. in the war against Iran.
“As far as NATO is concerned, that’s a decision that will be left to the president. But I’ll just say a lot has been laid bare,” Hegseth said. “A lot has been shown to the world about what our allies would be willing to do for the United States of America when we undertake an effort of this scope on behalf of the free world.”
Hegseth and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with reporters for the first time since March 19.
They did not answer questions shouted regarding The New York Times report that a U.S. missile hit an Iranian sports hall and adjacent elementary school near a military facility or the Financial Times story that claims Hegseth’s broker attempted to make a big investment in major defense companies in the weeks leading up to the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran.
The secretary took a different tone from previous briefings on Tuesday. He disclosed for the first time that he spent half of Saturday visiting the Middle East and spoke with troops fighting the war with Iran.
“A crew chief we flew with summed it up nicely. He said, ‘It’s been a busy few weeks, sir, tough stuff. I’m so honored to be called up. This fight is one we need to address for our kids. We cannot pass the buck,’ ” Hegseth said.
Hegseth did not disclose the locations where he met with troops, citing operational security. He did share what he saw and said that he was grateful to service members in the fight.
“Let’s finish the mission,” he said service members told him.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the Pentagon is considering sending up to 10,000 more ground troops to the Middle East, adding to the roughly 5,000 Marines and thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division headed to the region.
The Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and U.S. sailors arrived in the Middle East on Friday aboard the USS Tripoli, U.S. Central Command said on X.
Caine said that due to “the increase in air superiority,” the United States is now flying B-52s over Iranian soil for the first time.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, was in Israel on Sunday and Monday meeting Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. Before leaving, Cooper visited U.S. troops and recognized more than 40 service members with medals, CENTCOM said in a post on X.
Trump has not yet ruled out putting boots on the ground in Iran, a move that could significantly escalate the war and risk more U.S. casualties, experts say.
Hegseth did not say Tuesday whether the U.S. would send ground troops into Iran.
“You can’t fight and win a war if you tell your adversary what you are willing to do or what you are not willing to do to include boots on the ground,” he said.
Hegseth added: “Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are.”
Thirteen service members have been killed since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28. Six U.S. soldiers were killed in a drone strike in Kuwait, and another was killed in Saudi Arabia. In Iraq, six airmen died when their refueling tanker went down over friendly territory. Another 300 troops have been injured, with the majority having already returned to duty, according to CENTCOM.
