CENTCOM shares image of US F-16 patrol over Middle East

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump recently told cabinet members that Iran could either accept a deal ensuring it does not obtain a nuclear weapon or face the alternative represented by the Pentagon chief.

“We were in a cabinet meeting just a couple of days ago, and the president said, ‘Hey, it will be a great deal,’” Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore on Friday. “And if Iran doesn’t want to make a great deal that ensures they don’t get a nuclear weapon, they can deal with the guy on my left.”

A vocal faction of Iranian hard-liners is seeking to derail negotiations with the United States as the two sides move closer to a potential agreement, according to a report by The New York Times.

The report said hard-line figures in parliament, state media and the Supreme National Security Council have publicly opposed concessions to Washington through rallies, media campaigns and political pressure, despite support for the talks from Iran’s leadership.

According to the newspaper, President Masoud Pezeshkian recently criticized state television for portraying negotiations as a failure and deepening divisions, while Iran’s negotiating team has continued discussions with the United States.

The report cited analysts and officials as saying the hard-line camp represents a minority view but retains influence within parts of the political establishment and among supporters of the Islamic Republic. It also described tensions between hard-line figures and members of the negotiating team over the direction of talks with Washington.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) outlined six requirements it says should form the basis of any future US-Iran nuclear agreement, arguing that weaker terms would leave Tehran with a pathway to nuclear weapons.

In a report released on Friday, FDD research fellow Andrea Stricker said any deal should require the recovery of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, a permanent ban on uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing, the dismantlement of enrichment and plutonium-related infrastructure, a full declaration of past nuclear weapons work, and unrestricted International Atomic Energy Agency inspections, including at military sites.

The report added that allowing Iran to retain enrichment capabilities or limiting inspections would undermine the effectiveness of any agreement.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Friday that the United States has a “global obligation” to ensure Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon, speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.

“We still have global obligations to ensure that, say, Iran doesn’t get a nuclear weapon,” Hegseth said during remarks at the annual defense summit, which brings together senior security officials from across the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and US Naval Forces Central Command (USNAVCENT) issued a Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) Advisory Note on Friday warning of ongoing military operations in the northern Strait of Hormuz near the Musandam Peninsula, according to the official advisory.

The advisory said maritime activity in the area includes critical security risks and warned that military operations are ongoing in proximity to the waterway. It urged mariners to exercise extreme caution and remain alert to rapidly changing conditions.

The notice did not confirm specific threats such as mine-laying but advised vessels to maintain a listening watch on VHF Channel 16, avoid traffic separation schemes where possible, and report suspicious activity.

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