Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the U.S. military is still prepared to act, even as President Donald Trump hits pause on a planned strike against Iran and shifts toward diplomacy.
On Sunday, Hegseth took to X with a blunt message: "Fact. The @DeptofWar was ready to go — and remains ready — at levels not seen since World War 2. Locked and loaded."
That post came after Trump said he had called off what he described as a "massive attack" that was in the works. The president told reporters aboard Air Force One that Iran's leadership "knew the extent of the attack because they saw it forming."
But instead of following through, Trump said the U.S. is now talking. "Now what we're doing is we're talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon and we'll see," he said.
The pivot toward talks reportedly came after leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar urged Trump to stand down, arguing that a diplomatic path was still possible. Trump echoed that sentiment, saying, "There's a deal on Hormuz and then there will be a deal on the nuclear." His stated goal: the "denuclearization of Iran."
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly made a personal appeal to Trump during a phone call, pushing for de-escalation. Trump didn't confirm whether the planned operation would have targeted energy infrastructure, but he made clear the military remains on standby: "Locked and loaded and ready to go."
Iran, for its part, pushed back on the idea that it had asked for the attack to be halted. The semi-official Fars news agency took a swipe at the U.S. president, while Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei clarified that a new shipping route agreement with Oman doesn't mean the Strait of Hormuz is reopening. He called the arrangement a "necessary condition" but not enough to restore full access.
The pause comes after Trump said on Saturday that he had stopped the strikes, contingent on reaching a "rapid" agreement. That deal, he said, would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending Tehran's nuclear program. He also repeated his earlier line about the military being "locked and loaded," ready to act at a strength not seen since World War II.
So where does that leave things? The U.S. is holding a big stick while talking softly, and the next few days will show whether Iran is willing to come to the table. For now, the military stands ready, and the diplomatic clock is ticking.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by MarketDash editors.
