Hegseth said that it would be a “wise choice” for Iran to accept Washington’s demands. “The President’s been clear from the beginning, as he was before Midnight Hammer. Iran will not have nuclear weapons capability. And so, they can either negotiate on that front, or we have other options – that’s why the War Department exists,” he said, adding that the US is “more than prepared” to attack. “[US President Donald Trump] doesn’t want to go that route, I don’t want to go that route, but our job is to be prepared, and so of course we are, we’re more than prepared. President Trump’s committed to peace, committed to a deal if Iran’s serious about making a deal, and we’ll see. It’s up to Iran.” Oman hosted the US–Iran talks last Friday. Right after the first round of talks, Washington imposed new sanctions on Iran’s oil industry. At the behest of Tel Aviv, Washington is demanding an end to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, heavy restrictions on the ballistic missile program, and an end to all Iranian support for resistance groups in the region – namely Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Ansarallah.