Talks productive, but ‘war not off the table’: US
• Pentagon chief says Trump is ‘patient’, wants to make a ‘great deal’ to ensure Iran doesn’t have nukes • US military fires on Gambia-flagged ship ‘violating Iran blockade’ • War secretary asserts Iran under pressure to open Strait of Hormuz with or without deal • Iran asks vessels traversing vital waterway to comply with its regulations • Hegseth lauds PM Shehbaz, CDF Munir for role in US-Iran peace talks, says ‘true friendship’ developing with Islamabad SINGAPORE: As negotiators from Washington and Tehran worked to bridge major differences blocking an agreement to end the weeks-long war, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday warned that the US was ready to restart attacks on Iran if a deal was not reached. “Our ability to recommence if necessary…we are more than capable,” Mr Hegseth said while speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. “Our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe, so we’re in a very good place,” he claimed. The Pentagon chief said President Donald Trump was “patient” and wants to make a “great deal” that ensures Iran does not get a nuclear weapon. “Those goalposts haven’t shifted at all,” he said, referring to the US demand that Iran abandon any nuclear ambitions it has, which Tehran says is for civilian purposes. “We think we’re in a good place to make that deal,” he said, while also warning that the Pentagon was “postured even stronger today than we were on Day One”. “The talks have been productive,” Mr Hegseth further said. At the Singapore dialogue, he also assured his Asian allies, saying that the US had not turned its back on the Asia-Pacific region despite being engaged in conflict with Iran. “We can do two things at one time. We’re super-charging our defence industrial base so that we’re building 2X, 3X, 4X the munitions very soon to ensure that all of our (operations) plans are properly funded throughout the world,” he said. Meanwhile, US Central Command claimed to have di...
Original source: Dawn Pakistan