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US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested on Sunday that Washington has maintained control over the Strait of Hormuz, successfully guiding millions of barrels of oil through the strategic waterway despite regional tensions, Anadolu reports.
“Project Freedom never stopped, and we have run 125 million barrels of oil through the straits, and Iran could not do anything about it,” Hegseth told CBS News.
He claimed that not a single Iranian vessel managed to transit the American blockade, asserting that US President Donald Trump’s administration holds “absolute leverage” in ongoing diplomatic negotiations from a position of strength.
READ: Iran threatens to halt US negotiations if Israeli attacks continue in Lebanon
The defense chief warned that the US military posture will remain active to ensure Tehran complies with the memorandum of understanding within the next 60 days. He noted the military has developed plans to ensure nuclear material is “down blended, destroyed, or removed.”
Hegseth said the document on table stipulates that Tehran “will never have a nuclear weapon, won’t seek one, won’t buy one, won’t have one.”
Trump on Saturday said a deal with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday, even as Tehran disputed the timeline.
Sources in Tehran told the Fars News Agency that the proposed deal remains “under consideration” and no final decision has been announced.
OPINION: Trump’s Strategic Mistakes in His War Against Iran
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