America says ready to start again if no agreement is reached

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States has enough weapons to resume war against Iran if needed.

Addressing a defense conference in Singapore on Saturday, he said, “Our ability to relaunch if necessary… we are highly capable, our stockpiles there and around the world are more than suitable for that, because of how we balance superior and more abundant weapons.”

Hegseth said the United States has a global responsibility to ensure Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.

Regarding the ongoing discussion of a possible ceasefire, Hegseth said that any deal with Iran would be a good deal.

Military officials from Israel and Lebanon held “productive” talks in Washington on Friday, Pentagon second-in-command Elbridge Colby wrote on Twitter.

“Today at the Pentagon, I hosted military delegations from Israel and Lebanon for a security track supporting the ongoing peace talks between the two countries,” Colby wrote.

He said that this meeting will complement the upcoming diplomatic discussions.

“We held military-to-military discussions, which will inform the state-led political track department next week,” he wrote.

Talks between senior Israeli and Lebanese officials have been going on since April. However, the talks are complicated by the fact that Israel’s target, Iran-backed Shiite militant group Hezbollah, is not participating and has refused to accept its results.

Welcome to DW’s ongoing coverage of the conflict in the Middle East.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States has enough weapons stockpile to resume military operations against Iran if needed.

Meanwhile, military officials from Israel and Lebanon held talks in Washington in what US officials described as productive talks.

Stay tuned for more news and analysis.