US will keep troops in Middle East to ensure Iran complies with ceasefire, says Pete Hegseth

“We’re going to stay in the area. We’re not going anywhere. We’re going to make sure that Iran comply with this ceasefire and, ultimately, come to the negotiating table to reach an agreement,” said Hegseth at a press conference at the Pentagon.

According to the secretary, Tehran should “find a way to send a carrier pigeon” to its troops in remote areas so that they know “that they should not shoot or continue launching unilateral attacks or missiles,” something that he insisted would be “extremely reckless.”

“Ceasefires sometimes take time to become effective. We are monitoring the situation and preparing if necessary, but we hope and trust that it will hold,” he said.

Iran and the United States agreed last night to a two-week pause in hostilities, a period in which they will negotiate an end to a war that began on February 28. According to Hegseth, Iran “begged for this ceasefire, and we all know it.”

The basis of the negotiation will be a ten-point plan presented by Tehran this morning to end 40 days of war.

The Iranian proposal, which will serve as a roadmap for Friday’s meeting, includes the lifting of international sanctions and the withdrawal of US troops from the region in exchange for an Iranian commitment not to manufacture nuclear weapons and guarantee safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic oil route.

It is not clear how the presence of the thousands of troops and military equipment that Washington sent to the Middle East will affect the progress of the talks, scheduled for next Friday in Islamabad with the participation of the Government of Pakistan.

The Secretary of War today claimed a “conclusive victory” over Iran, which, he said, “can no longer manufacture missiles, rockets, or unmanned aerial vehicles. Their factories have been razed to the ground, suffering a setback of historic proportions. The little they have left, buried in bunkers, is all they will have,” he added.

“Our troops are prepared to defend themselves, prepared to go on the offensive and prepared to resume operations with minimal notice, using whatever package of objectives is necessary to ensure that Iran complies with what has been agreed,” the American insisted.