US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the next days in the war against Iran will be "decisive", not ruling out the possibility of deploying US ground forces on Iranian territory, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
"Iran knows this, but can do almost nothing from a military perspective," he said.
During a press conference at the Pentagon today, Hegseth stressed that the US will not limit its military options in advance. "You can't win a war by telling your adversary what you're willing or unwilling to do, including with respect to ground forces," Hegseth said.
According to him, the last 24 hours have seen the lowest number of drone and missile launches by Iran.
Hegseth described the talks as "real, active and gaining momentum" but stressed that they are going hand in hand with military action. "We don't want to do more from a military perspective than is necessary. But I was not speaking lightly when I said we would negotiate while we strike," he said.
The secretary refused to rule out a scenario involving the deployment of US troops on Iranian territory, noting that the adversary must consider multiple potential attack options.
"Our adversary currently believes there are 15 different ways in which he could be attacked with ground forces. And guess what? It's true," he added.
Hegseth also noted that more ships are passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz and called on other countries to increase their presence there.
At the same time, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Kaine, said that the US had struck more than 11,000 targets in the past 30 days.