US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Thursday that American forces are ready to resume strikes on Iranian infrastructure if Tehran does not agree to a nuclear deal, delivering one of the sharpest Pentagon threats since the fragile April 8 ceasefire.
Speaking at a Pentagon briefing, Hegseth laid out two paths for Iran. “You, Iran, can choose a prosperous future, a golden bridge, and we hope that you do for the people of Iran,” he said. “But if Iran chooses poorly, then they will have a blockade and bombs dropping on infrastructure, power and energy.”
Hegseth also said Washington would continue to prevent all ships “regardless of nationality” from entering or exiting Iranian ports inside the Strait of Hormuz “for as long as it takes,” reaffirming the US naval blockade that has constricted global oil flows.
The warning comes as Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, met Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Tehran, the latest leg of an Islamabad-led mediation effort. The central sticking point remains the duration of any enrichment freeze — with Washington pressing for 20 years against Iran’s offer of five — and Iran’s stockpile of 440 kg of highly enriched uranium.
For Sri Lanka, an immediate return to strikes would extend the Hormuz blockade and tighten the supply squeeze already driving up local fuel and electricity prices. The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation’s first crude shipment since March is due to arrive on April 17, but oil-market traders have warned that any renewed bombing could push Brent crude back toward US$150 per barrel.
The Pentagon threat arrived hours before President Donald Trump announced a separate 10-day Israel–Lebanon ceasefire, underscoring the two-track nature of the Middle East crisis.
Sources: Newswire.
