Pete Hegseth says Iran still has an open window for talks

WASHINGTON: United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Friday that Iran still has an opportunity to return to negotiations, while also stating that US action against Iranian maritime activity had expanded beyond a limited scope.

Speaking during a press briefing at the Pentagon, Hegseth said Tehran could still make a choice in favour of diplomacy if it took steps related to its nuclear programme.

“Iran knows that they still have an open window to choose wisely at the negotiating table. All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways” Hegseth said during the briefing.

His remarks indicated that Washington was continuing to frame negotiations around Iran’s nuclear activities, while publicly maintaining that the option for talks remained available.

At the same briefing, Hegseth also said the US blockade of Iranian ports had widened in scope and was now global in nature. He further said the United States had taken control of two Iranian dark fleet ships that had departed from Iranian ports.

The Pentagon briefing did not provide further details in the report on the circumstances of the seizures, the identities of the vessels, or the timeline of the action.

Hegseth’s comments came as the United States continued to publicly combine pressure measures with calls for negotiations. In his remarks, he presented the negotiating track as still open, while linking any progress to what he described as meaningful and verifiable abandonment of a nuclear weapon by Iran.

The statement on the seizure of two ships was delivered alongside his comments on the broader blockade, underscoring the military and enforcement dimension of current US policy as described in the Pentagon briefing.

No additional remarks from Iranian officials were included in the report, which described the story as developing.

Pentagon briefing outlines US position

The Pentagon briefing, as reported, centred on two main points made by Hegseth: that Iran still had an opening to engage at the negotiating table, and that US measures targeting Iranian-linked maritime activity had intensified.

His comments were delivered publicly at the Pentagon on Friday and reflected the US position as stated by the secretary during the briefing.