US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday, 25 Mehr, that the Islamic Republic must give up its nuclear ambitions at the negotiating table as soon as possible; otherwise, it will face the devastating military power of the United States.

In remarks delivered to students in the Reserve Officer Training Corps program and military service volunteers at the University of Tennessee, Mr. Hegseth said: “The Iranian regime has to decide very soon whether it wants to give up these ambitions at the negotiating table, or whether it wants to face a kind of devastation that America can and, if necessary, will quickly bring about.”

The U.S. defense secretary accused the Islamic Republic of creating a large arsenal of conventional missiles at the same time as pursuing nuclear objectives in order to prevent a military action against itself. He emphasized that U.S. military power is a tool to compel enemies to negotiate.

Mr. Hegseth also, pointing to the Islamic Republic’s support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, said that the United States has tried to prevent attacks on American forces and shipping.