The October 7th massacre would not have happened under US President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
"What happened in Afghanistan, what happened in Ukraine, a war that never would have occurred, what happened on October 7th in Israel, never would have happened under President Trump. So, as a result, we're having to rebuild how our enemies perceive us," Hegseth claimed.
He emphasized the need to "reestablish deterrents" after the Biden administration, saying that under the Trump administration, the October 7th massacre and the war in Ukraine would never have occurred.
Speaking on Iran, Hegseth said, "When President Trump said...' Iran, you won't have a nuclear bomb,' he meant it."
He added that Iran has the option to make a deal, provided they do not pursue nuclear capabilities, but warned that in all cases, the US military "will be prepared to deliver whatever this President expects of the War Department."
Iran prepares for confrontation
This comes as Iranian officials prepare for military confrontation with the US, and a new US naval destroyer entered the Middle East.
Earlier on Thursday, the semi-official Iranian Tasnim News Agency reported that a batch of 1,000 drones had been received by various branches of the Iranian army, and informed sources in Tehran told Hezbollah-aligned Al-Akhbar that Tehran believes that coming to an agreement that meets demands put forth by the US would be more costly than war.