Iran must abandon nuclear weapon ‘in meaningful and verifiable ways,’ Hegseth says
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Iran must abandon any pursuit of a nuclear weapon “in meaningful and verifiable ways,” warning that Washington would maintain pressure if it does not.
“All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways,” Hegseth told a Pentagon briefing, adding Iran has “an important choice, a chance to make a deal, a good deal, a wise deal.”
He said the United States is “not anxious for a deal,” and warned Tehran could instead face “the regime’s fragile economic state collapse under the unrelenting pressure of American power… a blockade as long as it takes.”
Hegseth said US forces had already seized two Iranian “dark fleet” ships in the Indo-Pacific, adding: “They thought they’d made it out just in time. They did not… we will seize more.”
He added the blockade was expanding globally, saying “34 total non-Iranian vessels are allowed to transit,” while warning “the clock is not on their side.”
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday that Iran was struggling to determine its leadership, pointing to what he described as infighting between “hardliners” and “moderates.”
“Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know!” Trump wrote, adding that internal divisions were “crazy” and tied to battlefield losses and political rivalries.
The remarks came as the continued absence of new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei from public view and reported disputes over engagement with Washington have drawn scrutiny to internal dynamics within the Islamic Republic.
Officials project unity after remarks
An account attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei reposted part of his Nowruz message warning of “enemy psychological operations” aimed at undermining national unity and security.
Senior officials echoed similar messaging in coordinated posts. President Masoud Pezeshkian and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote that distinctions between political factions were invalid.
“In Iran there are no ‘hardliners’ or ‘moderates’… We are all Iranians and revolutionaries,” they wrote, adding that unity and obedience to the Supreme Leader would ensure victory.
Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei described such labels as “fabricated and baseless,” saying all factions operate cohesively under the leadership.
Other figures, including senior military commanders and advisers, issued similar statements stressing allegiance to “one leader,” in what appeared to be a coordinated response.
Divisions persist over policy and negotiations
Despite the messaging, recent developments suggest internal disagreements remain. In March, Pezeshkian apologized for attacks attributed to Iranian forces on neighboring countries, attributing them to actors operating independently, drawing criticism from military-linked figures.
Conflicting signals also emerged last week over maritime policy, when Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz before the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps indicated renewed restrictions due to ongoing pressures.
Reports have also pointed to disputes over nuclear negotiations with the United States. According to information received by Iran International, disagreements between officials aligned with the government and figures linked to Mojtaba Khamenei disrupted plans for talks in Islamabad.
Sources familiar with the matter said negotiators were instructed not to engage on the nuclear file, prompting Araghchi to describe participation as “essentially futile” and warning that such a stance would end the process.
Earlier reporting also indicated that Ghalibaf criticized opponents of a deal with Washington in internal discussions, describing them as contributing to the country’s decline.
