The United States delivered a blunt warning to Iran on Thursday as senior officials underscored President Donald Trump’s uncompromising military posture, amid a visible expansion of American naval and air power across the Middle East. The show of force comes against the backdrop of mounting concerns over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Speaking during a Cabinet meeting, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth framed Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons as an unacceptable red line, insisting the administration was prepared to act decisively. “They should not pursue nuclear capabilities, and we will be prepared to deliver whatever this president expects of the War Department,” he said, signalling a readiness to escalate if required.
US Projects Strength, Signals Global Resolve
Hegseth’s remarks were part of a broader message aimed at reinforcing US military readiness and restoring deterrence in a region on edge. To underline American capabilities, he pointed to the recent capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, describing the operation as unprecedented in both scope and execution.
“No other military in the world could have executed the most sophisticated, powerful raid, not just in American history, I would say in world history,” Hegseth said. He added that such an operation reflected the level of authority granted to US forces under the current administration, arguing that “no other president would have been willing to empower those warriors that way.”
According to Hegseth, high-profile missions of this nature are designed to send an unmistakable signal beyond Washington. “That sends a message to every capital around the world that when President Trump speaks, he means business,” he said, adding that the War Department was “reestablishing deterrence” after years of what he characterised as strategic ambiguity.
Turning back to Iran, Hegseth cited Operation Midnight Hammer, a series of Trump-ordered strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, as proof of the administration’s determination to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. “We’re having to rebuild how our enemies perceive us,” he said. “And when President Trump said, ‘We’re not getting a nuclear Iran, you won’t have a nuclear bomb,’ he meant it.”
EU Designates IRGC Terrorist Organisation
The tough rhetoric from Washington coincided with a significant shift in Europe’s approach to Iran. European Union foreign ministers agreed to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, placing it alongside groups such as Islamic State and al Qaeda, The Times of Israel reported.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reacted sharply to the move, writing on X: “Repression cannot go unanswered.” She added that “any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the decision “historic,” while an Israeli official said the designation would make it easier to prosecute IRGC members, according to the report.
Formed in the wake of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the Shi’ite clerical system, the IRGC has grown into one of the most powerful institutions in the country. It holds vast influence over Iran’s economy and armed forces and oversees key elements of its ballistic missile and nuclear programmes.
While some EU states had long pressed for the designation, others had been reluctant, fearing it could derail dialogue with Tehran and endanger European citizens. That resistance weakened after a violent crackdown on nationwide anti-regime protests earlier this month that reportedly left thousands dead, The Times of Israel said.
