Hegseth says Iran's new leaders recognized ceasefire deal 'was far better than fate that awaited them'

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine briefed reporters Wednesday morning on next steps after President Trump announced a two-week ceasefire in the war with Iran moments before his deadline Tuesday evening. The White House on Wednesday touted the ceasefire as "a big day for world peace."

As the terms of the ceasefire were being made public on Wednesday, a key point emerged showing that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened with Iran and Oman collecting a "toll" from ships that pass through, according to The Associated Press. Trump also said the U.S. and Iran would collaborate to "dig up and remove" any remaining enriched uranium that still exists in Iran, one of the key U.S. objectives of the war. 

Hegseth echoed Trump's point that Iran will not be able to develop a nuclear weapon in the briefing with reporters. "The new Iranian regime understood that a deal was far better than the fate that awaited them," Hegseth said, calling the result a “capital-V military victory” for the U.S. He also said Iran was expected to hand over the enriched uranium "voluntarily," and suggested that if the regime did not turn over the uranium, military strikes would resume. “We reserve that opportunity,” Hegseth said.

When asked by a reporter about the continuing U.S. military presence in the Middle East, Hegseth responded, "We'll be hanging around. We're not going anywhere. We're going to make sure Iran complies with the ceasefire and then ultimately comes to the table and makes a deal. Our troops are prepared to restart at a moment's notice."

According to Axios, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei for the first time instructed negotiators to begin working on hammering out a deal with the U.S. However, a report by Metro indicated that U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies have determined that Khamenei is "incapacitated" and "unable to run the country." About a month ago, when Khamenei was named successor to his father who was killed on the opening day of the war, a cardboard cutout of Khamenei was used at his succession rally. The 56-year-old has yet to be seen in public since taking over as supreme leader. 

Below, watch a portion of Hegseth's remarks to reporters on Wednesday morning.