US Defence Secretary says military options remain possible regarding Iran
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On 26 August 2026, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that military options remained a possibility in the ongoing war between the US, Israel, and Iran. Hegseth’s comments followed the US government’s imposition of "unprecedented" sanctions against Iran earlier that week. During an interview with Newsmax, Hegseth noted that while economic pressure was currently the most effective tool, the US had not ruled out kinetic strikes in the Strait of Hormuz.
Consequences
The statement indicates that the US maintains the authority to escalate the conflict through direct military action in the Strait of Hormuz if economic sanctions prove insufficient. This signals a dual-track strategy of combining financial pressure with the threat of kinetic force to address the conflict.
Sources
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