The Pentagon and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirm the US will maintain a “defensive posture” and has no immediate plans to strike Iran, even as President Trump leaves the G7 summit early for an NSC meeting to address the escalating Israel-Iran conflict

The US Middle East Stance remains defensive, with the Pentagon and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signaling on Monday that the United States does not plan to strike Iran.

Also read: Trump threatens to escalate trade war with additional tariffs on EU goods

This declaration comes as President Donald Trump prepares to meet with the National Security Council (NSC) at the White House to address the rapidly escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

The NSC meeting follows the U.S.’s repositioning of warships and military aircraft in the region, aimed at responding should the conflict intensify further.

Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesperson, affirmed on X (formerly Twitter), “American Forces are maintaining their defensive posture & that has not changed. We will protect American troops & our interests.”

The current crisis erupted last week when Israel launched a series of strikes against Iran, marking the most severe escalation to date in their long-running conflict.

Both nations have since engaged in retaliatory missile attacks, with Iran reportedly bearing the brunt of the damage. Israeli airstrikes have reportedly “decapitated” Iran’s military and intelligence leadership, targeted critical nuclear sites and scientists, and killed more than 224 people since Friday.

In contrast, Israeli officials report that 24 people in Israel have been killed and at least 500 injured as a result of Iran’s retaliatory strikes.

Secretary Hegseth underscored America’s defensive position in an interview with Fox News, emphasizing that President Trump’s priority remains achieving a new nuclear agreement with Iran.

“We believe that Iran… should not have a nuclear weapon,” Hegseth told Jesse Watters, affirming that “That position hasn’t changed.”

He added, “Right now, we’ve got assets in the region and we’re going to defend them. We’re strong, we’re prepared, we’re defensive… President Trump hopes there can be peace.”

The Trump administration has been actively working to negotiate a new nuclear agreement with Iran since he took office in January, having scrapped the Obama administration’s 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018 during his first term.

On Monday evening, President Trump issued a stark warning to Tehran residents, urging them to “immediately” evacuate the capital city.

“Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign,” he wrote. “What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”

Trump’s engagement with the crisis also led him to cut short his participation in the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Kananaskis, Canada.

I have to be back, it’s very important… This is big stuff.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the President would leave early to address the escalating situation. When questioned by a reporter, Trump stated, “I have to be back, it’s very important… This is big stuff.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that regime change in Iran is not his primary goal, but conceded it could “certainly be the result” of Israel’s strikes, describing the Iranian government as “very weak.”

These comments followed a similar sentiment from Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, who stated on Sunday that his country was not aiming for regime change despite expanding its offensive.

Netanyahu also addressed reports that Trump had vetoed an Israeli strike against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, asserting that such a strike would “end the conflict,” not escalate it.

Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, further indicated continued airstrikes, writing on X, “The arrogant dictator from Tehran has become a cowardly murderer who fires targeted shots at the civilian home front in Israel to deter the IDF from continuing the attack that is collapsing its capabilities.” He warned, “The residents of Tehran will pay the price, and soon.”

In the early hours of Tuesday, Israel Defense Forces posted on X that missiles had been launched from Iran towards Israel, with defense systems working to intercept them, urging residents to enter protected areas.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), America’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, criticized Trump’s call for a Tehran evacuation.

In a statement, CAIR argued that “President Trump is repeating the same mistakes of President George W. Bush. Just like Iraq did not have and was not pursuing weapons of mass destruction, Iran does not have and was not pursuing a nuclear weapon.”

CAIR further suggested that Trump “could have easily signed a new deal with Iran limiting it to low, civilian-use levels of enrichment and extreme monitoring that would have made pursuing a weapon impossible.

Instead, under pressure from [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and pro-Israel war mongers, Trump insisted on the poison pill ‘zero enrichment’ requirement that Iran was never going to accept.”

Also read: US tariff threatens Nigeria’s AGOA gains, diversification– NACC president

While Trump indicated that Iranian officials have expressed willingness to discuss de-escalating the situation with Israel, Israel maintains its belief that the conflict will escalate.