Hegseth: Iran begged for a truce, Trump could have destroyed their economy, but he chose mercy

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that Iran “begged” for a truce and US President Donald Trump “chose mercy” even though he was ready to destroy the Iranian economy. At the same time, he assured that US forces are still ready to act if necessary, for example to seize Iran's stockpiles of enriched uranium.

During a press conference held the day after the announcement of a two-week truce between the U.S. and Iran, Hegseth announced that the war was a “military victory with a capital Z.”

– Iran begged for this truce and we all know it. They had had enough, said the US Secretary of War (Defense). He assessed that US military pressure, the threat of destruction of Iranian infrastructure and the country's ability to export crude oil forced Tehran to negotiate. He assured that Trump's threats to destroy “the entire civilization” of Iran were not empty words.

– President Trump had the power to paralyze the entire Iranian economy in minutes, but he chose mercy. He spared these goals because Iran accepted the ceasefire under overwhelming pressure. The new Iranian regime realized that an agreement was much better than the fate that awaited it. This the new regime simply looked at what happened to its predecessors – he announced.

The head of the Pentagon noted that the US has not given up its goal of ensuring that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. He announced that the new agreement would guarantee just that – although he also threatened further military action if Iran refused to cooperate.

– Under the terms of the agreement, any nuclear material that they (Iranians – PAP) should not possess will be removed, Hegseth said. – We'll get it, we'll take it, we'll carry it out. Or if we need to do something else, like we did Midnight Hammer (US support for Israel in the war with Iran in June 2025 – PAP) in or something like that, we reserve this possibility – he added.

He stated that Iran would allow navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, but did not comment on the details given Iran's announcements to collect fees and maintain control over transport through this route.

When asked about Trump's claims that there had been a change of power in Iran – with the killing of the previous group of leaders – Hegseth supported that assessment, saying that was what made the negotiations possible. At the same time, he said that he “would very much like the Iranian people to seize the opportunity” and overthrow the authorities.

– They were oppressed by the previous regime and thanks to it they will have a new opportunity, which remains to be seen. This was not the goal of our actions, but they are brave people. The previous regime did terrible things to them, Hegseth said. – We wish them the best – he added.

From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)

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