US 'more than capable' of resuming Iran war: Hegseth

Washington: The United States warned on Saturday it was "more than capable" of resuming war with Iran after President Donald Trump said any peace deal must adhere to his red lines, including Tehran never being able to develop nuclear weapons.

The White House had signaled Trump was close to a decision on a potential deal, though Tehran denied there was a final agreement on ending the conflict.

US sources had told AFP the deal was waiting on Trump's sign-off, but he made no decision after a White House Situation Room meeting on Friday.


Meanwhile, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, while attending a defense summit in Singapore, said on Saturday that Washington was "more than capable" of restarting the war.

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US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on X that American forces "remain present and vigilant across the region."

The efforts to reach a deal were thrown into question this week by US strikes on the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, countered by retaliatory Iranian fire.

Iran's IRNA state news agency said air defenses shot down a drone "belonging to the US-Zionist aggressor enemy" on Saturday, citing a statement from the army.

Nevertheless diplomacy continued, including to stop fighting in Lebanon, which Iran has insisted be included in any end to the war and where Israeli forces advanced further even as military delegations from both nations met at the Pentagon.

Trump said his priorities in any deal include Iran agreeing to never develop nuclear weapons and the re-opening of the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

"President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines," a White House official told AFP, adding: "Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon."

Competing conditions

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei pushed back on Trump's conditions, saying the Islamic republic "said goodbye to the language of 'must' 47 years ago."

Exchanges of messages were continuing, he added, but "no final agreement has been reached."

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In his social media post, Trump said Tehran would remove mines from the Strait and end its closure of the waterway with "no tolls," while the US would lift its blockade.

The two countries would also coordinate on removing and destroying Iran's enriched uranium, he said, adding that "no money will be exchanged, until further notice."

Iran's Fars news agency, however, cited sources as saying Tehran was demanding "the immediate release of $12 billion" before moving to the next phase of negotiations.

On the toll-free reopening of Hormuz, the sources said "no such clause appears in the text of the agreement," while Trump's comment on destroying Iran's nuclear material "is fundamentally baseless."

Iran's ISNA news agency on Saturday cited lawmaker Alireza Salimi as saying a plan "to implement Iran's management and sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz will soon be approved by parliament."

Meanwhile, Iran's Tasnim news agency said the US blockade in the strait remains in place and its ships "are receiving warnings from CENTCOM to stop and not cross the blockade line."

"Both sides are speaking in a way that keeps their supporters satisfied. It's not clear who is telling the truth," Ali, from Tonekabon north of Tehran, told AFP.

Fighting in Lebanon

Fighting continues on the war's Lebanese front.

Israel's military issued evacuation warnings on Saturday for residents of seven villages in southern Lebanon, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces had pushed deeper into the country.

Israel has kept up its heavy bombardment of south Lebanon, with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun emphasising in a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio "the need to exert all efforts to reach a ceasefire."

A truce between Israel and Hezbollah began on April 17 but has never been observed, with both sides accusing each other of violating it.

In early March, Tehran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel over the US-Israeli killing of Iran's supreme leader, prompting Israeli strikes across Lebanon and a ground invasion.

Israel and Lebanon began direct talks in April, with a fourth round expected next week.