Hegseth said the U.S. remains "locked and loaded" for renewed strikes.
Talks between the U.S. and Iran remain stalled despite the two countries signing a memorandum of understanding in June, aimed at ending the war that began with joint American-Israeli strikes on the country in February. The opening strikes killed a host of top Iranian officials and commanders, among them Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The two sides have continued to exchange strikes, though have not returned to the intense fighting seen in the early stages of the conflict. The U.S. says it is enforcing a naval blockade of the country's Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman ports, while Iran claims control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz and continues to claim attacks on shipping transiting the waterway.
Meanwhile, intensified fighting between Saudi-backed Yemeni forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen has seen the latter repeatedly attack Saudi military, oil infrastructure and transport facilities.
See the most recent developments below.
A vessel with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Logistics and Services was damaged in an attack Tuesday afternoon, the United Arab Emirates state-run news agency (WAM) reported.
The attack reportedly occurred in the territorial waters of the UAE and "response efforts" were ongoing, according to WAM.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth acknowledged that the ongoing war with Iran is "not necessarily popular" among American voters, when asked about the role the conflict played in the heavy Republican defeat in the midterm elections.
Vice President JD Vance last week publicly blamed the conflict for the historic Democratic Party victory in the midterm elections. Asked about Vance's remarks, Hegseth said he did not want to engage in "finger pointing."
Hegseth said the war was launched "for the right reasons, to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon."
Paraphrasing Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Hegseth said of the war, "It's not necessarily popular, but it may have been necessary. And that's certainly how I feel. It was a necessary undertaking."
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said during Tuesday's press conference that the U.S. can "maintain oversight" of Iranian nuclear sites and any attempts by Tehran to reconstitute its military capabilities.
"We're able to maintain oversight and visibility of those nuclear sites. And if we saw the kind of nefarious activity that required action, we would take it," Hegseth said.
Hegseth said the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports is "ironclad," suggesting that operation -- alongside the damage done to Iran's industrial base -- means Tehran's "ability to reconstitute is much less than ours."
"We know that they're going to attempt to reconstitute. We know that we are in a much stronger position," Hegseth said.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said during a Tuesday morning press conference that the U.S. had achieved "a historic military victory," over Iran, as he faced a House impeachment resolution introduced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie.
Hegseth defended his tenure as Pentagon chief, including the ongoing U.S.-Israeli campaign against in Iran, which began in February, and last summer's 12-day U.S.-Israeli conflict with Tehran.
"More than 13,000 targets struck. Their navy sunk. Their air force grounded. Their defense industrial base gone," Hegseth said, listing military statistics from the conflict to date.
"More than 80% of their nuclear industrial base gone. Their military in ruin. The ironclad blockade unbroken. We control the Strait of Hormuz. Crazy Islamists in Tehran will never, ever have a nuclear weapon. A historic effort only made possible by a courageous commander in chief," Hegseth added, referring to President Donald Trump.
"He did not kick the can. He kicked their teeth in," Hegseth said of the president.
"We will not apologize for destroying the capabilities of a regime that chants, 'Death to America," Hegseth continued. "And if that regime makes one wrong move, as the president said, we remain locked and loaded with the full weight and lethality of Central Command."
