Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered a forceful and explicit description of U.S. military strategy during remarks at a March 24 swearing-in ceremony, outlining an approach that frames ongoing operations against Iran as both warfare and negotiation. His comments emphasized the use of sustained military pressure as a central mechanism to achieve strategic objectives, particularly preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Speaking during the ceremony, Hegseth described what he characterized as a decisive shift in how military force is being applied under current leadership, stressing that U.S. forces are operating with fewer constraints and a mandate to act aggressively from the outset of conflict. “We have a president of the United States that when he sends his war fighters out to fight, he unties their hands to actually go out and close with and destroy the enemy as viciously as possible from moment one,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth: We negotiate with bombs. pic.twitter.com/yOOoleToaE
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He went on to directly connect that military posture to broader diplomatic efforts, presenting the use of force as an integral part of negotiations rather than a separate track. “And that’s why we see ourselves as part of this negotiation as well, we negotiate with bombs. You have a choice as we loiter over the top of Tehran as the president talked about about your future. President has made it clear that you will not have a nuclear weapon. The War Department agrees our job is to ensure that. And so we’re keeping our hand on that throttle as long as as hard as is necessary to ensure the interests of the United States of America are achieved on that battlefield.”
The remarks underscore a longstanding U.S. position that Iran must not develop nuclear weapons, a policy that has been communicated through diplomatic channels for years. Hegseth indicated that continued military action is a response to what U.S. officials view as Iran’s failure to comply with those demands, framing the current campaign as necessary enforcement rather than a limited or symbolic show of force.
His characterization of operations as “negotiat[ing] with bombs” highlights the degree to which military action is being used not only to degrade capabilities but to compel political outcomes. The reference to U.S. aircraft “loitering over the top of Tehran” further illustrates the immediacy and intensity of the pressure being applied, suggesting that the threat of continued strikes is intended to influence decision-making at the highest levels of the Iranian government.
Hegseth’s comments reflect a broader strategy in which overwhelming force and sustained operational tempo are central to achieving clearly defined objectives, with the prevention of a nuclear-armed Iran presented as a non-negotiable outcome that the U.S. military has been tasked to enforce.