US Defence Secretary: Trump Has Made Clear There Will Be No Iranian Nuclear Weapons, Period
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated during a Pentagon briefing that any nuclear materials Iran should not possess will be removed in accordance with the ceasefire provisions. However, Iran has not yet used that term in its own official communications.
“Based on those provisions, any nuclear materials that… they should not have will be removed,” Hegseth said, as reported by CNN on Wednesday (8/4/2026).
“The President has made it clear from the beginning - there will be no Iranian nuclear weapons. Period, end of story. Other presidents have said it. President Trump has done it,” he added.
US President Donald Trump stated in a previous post on Truth Social that the US would work with Iran to “dig up and remove” its uranium stockpiles that were targeted by US airstrikes.
Hegseth also said during the press conference that the US has won the war with Iran and has largely destroyed its military, although US intelligence has assessed that Iran still possesses significant missile launch capabilities. Hegseth’s comments came after the ceasefire agreement was announced on Tuesday (7/4) evening.
“Operation Epic Fury is a historic and extraordinary victory on the battlefield,” Hegseth said. He added: “By any measure, Epic Fury has destroyed Iran’s military and rendered it ineffective in combat for years to come.”
However, CNN reported last week that according to sources, recent US intelligence has determined that about half of Iran’s missile launchers remain intact and thousands of one-way attack drones are still in Iran’s weapon stockpiles.
Hegseth acknowledged but downplayed Iran’s remaining capabilities during the press conference, saying, “A little bit left, buried in bunkers, is all they will have.”
“They can still shoot, we know that,” Hegseth added. “Their command and control systems are so destroyed that they cannot communicate and coordinate, so they might still be shooting here and there, but that would be very, very unwise.”