Pete Hegseth warns Iran US military is 'locked and loaded' and intelligence is better than EVER to strike at moment's notice

By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 13:44, 16 April 2026 | Updated: 13:55, 16 April 2026 Pete Hegseth claimed the US military is 'locked and loaded' to strike Iran, even as Donald Trump insists his administration is still pursuing a deal with the Islamic regime. The Defense Secretary said US military remains at the ready to destroy the regime if they choose to not accept a deal with the US. Hegseth warned Iranian's senior leadership: 'We are watching you.' 'Remember, this is not a fair fight, and we know what military assets you are moving and where you are moving them to,' Hegseth continued. 'We are reloading with more power than ever before, and even more importantly, better intelligence than ever before. As you expose yourself with your movement to our watchful eye.' Hegseth vowed the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would remain in place and warned it would be followed by further military strikes if Tehran failed to reach a deal with the U.S. 'To Iran, choose wisely. I pray you choose a deal which is within your grasp for the betterment of your people and for the betterment of the world,' Hegseth said. 'In the meantime, the War Department is locked and loaded.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.