War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday that the United States is already taking undisclosed actions to help ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz as the Trump administration moves toward a potential agreement with Iran.
"We are already doing things I can’t talk about on this program," Hegseth said during an appearance on CBS’ "Face the Nation" when asked how quickly the U.S. and its partners could clear threats to commercial shipping in the strategic waterway.
Hegseth’s comments came as the Trump administration anticipated the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Iran that would begin a new round of negotiations aimed at permanently dismantling Tehran’s nuclear program.
The secretary said the administration remains on track for an agreement despite fresh Israeli strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon over the weekend.
"From all I know, we are on track," Hegseth said. "It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when."
He said Iran must rein in Hezbollah rocket attacks against Israel if it wants the broader agreement to succeed.
Hegseth repeatedly emphasized that any agreement would be "performance-based" and said Iran would not receive sanctions relief or other benefits until it fulfills its commitments.
"The president’s been most clear about is that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, never. Full stop," he said.
The secretary also said the U.S. military would maintain whatever force posture is necessary during the expected 60-day negotiating period.
"We’ll make sure the military option is there," Hegseth said. "That military might will stay as long as necessary."
Asked about reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the U.S. blockade of Iranian oil exports, Hegseth said the process would begin immediately once Iran demonstrates compliance.
"The blockade will stay as the strait opens, and then the blockade will open," he said, adding that the timeline could take "30 days to fully mature, or two weeks to fully mature."
Pressed on whether mines and other threats could be removed from the strait within 30 days, Hegseth said the U.S. and its partners were already taking steps behind the scenes.
"We are already doing things I can’t talk about on this program … to ensure that safe passage happens as quickly as possible," he said.
Hegseth said Iran’s military capabilities near the strait have been significantly degraded following recent U.S. operations.
"Iran probably doesn’t, because they can’t see and sense their capabilities around the strait," he said. "These last couple nights were very devastating for them."
The secretary also suggested that international partners could play a role in securing shipping lanes, but said the administration expects Iran to stop attacks on commercial vessels once an agreement is reached.
"Once this deal is signed, our expectation is that Iran will stop shooting drones at commercial shipping," Hegseth said.
On the future of Iran’s nuclear material, Hegseth declined to detail whether U.S. forces could be directly involved in securing or removing highly enriched uranium.
"I’m not going to say on a Sunday morning television program what we will or will not do in any context," he said. "We’ll have all options on the table."
Hegseth said any final agreement would require Iran to destroy, remove or downblend its nuclear material under a verification regime backed by U.S. military strength.
"The entirety of the might of the U.S. War Department is prepared to ensure Iran never has a nuclear weapon," he said. "Iran will need to destroy it and remove it, downblend it, and we will be involved, whether physically or otherwise, to ensure that that happens."
Separately, Hegseth confirmed that the United States expects to continue military operations against cartel and terrorist organizations in Latin America through what he called the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition.
Source:
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/pete-hegseth-iran-war/2026/06/14/id/1259622/
Diem ‘Richard’ Nguyen
Liên Minh Bảo Hiến Mỹ Gốc Việt
Vietnamese American Conservative Alliance (VACA)
https://freedom-vaca.org/vaca-blog-tieng-viet-nam/