Washington: U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Wednesday that the Pentagon remains prepared to resume military operations against Tehran if the Islamic Republic fails to surrender its stockpiles of enriched uranium.

The remarks from the Pentagon chief came during a press briefing following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a two-week ceasefire. While the president stated that the U.S. and Iran would cooperate to "dig up" and remove nuclear material buried beneath sites struck by American B-2 bombers last year, Hegseth did not clarify whether Tehran had formally consented to this specific arrangement.

Instead, Hegseth maintained a hardline stance, suggesting that the handover of the material is a non-negotiable expectation of the administration.

"Iran will give it to us voluntarily," Hegseth said, or the U.S. might do "something like" the joint strikes conducted with Israel against Iranian nuclear facilities last summer.

Strategic Leverage and Ceasefire Conditions

The Defence Secretary’s comments underscore the precarious nature of the current truce. President Trump claimed earlier in the day that a "productive Regime Change" had occurred in Tehran and insisted there would be "no enrichment of Uranium" moving forward. He further asserted that many points of the U.S. peace plan had already been accepted by the Iranian leadership.

However, Hegseth framed the current pause in hostilities not as a conclusion to the conflict, but as a strategic window for Iranian compliance. "We reserve that opportunity," Hegseth added, referring to the potential for renewed aerial bombardments should the "nuclear dust" not be recovered or should enrichment activities persist.

Military Readiness

The Pentagon's warning coincides with assessments from top military officials, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, who reported that "Operation Epic Fury" has already decimated roughly 90% of Iran's weapons factories and conventional naval fleet.

Despite these significant tactical gains, Hegseth’s rhetoric suggests that the administration views the removal of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure as the final, critical objective. While the ceasefire is intended to allow for high-level negotiations in Islamabad this Friday, the Defence Department emphasised that the "joint force remains ready" to strike again if the diplomatic track fails to secure the uranium.

With inputs from AP