US can still strike Hormuz targets, Hegseth warns as 'Economic D-Day' takes aim at Iran's economy

The Trump administration is not ruling out military action against Iran, even as it unveils significant economic pressure on Tehran, according to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He emphasized that "kinetic strikes" remain a possibility anywhere in the Strait of Hormuz or around Iran.

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By no means are we foreclosing using kinetic strikes anywhere in the Strait of Hormuz or around Iran.

Hegseth asserted that Iran cannot withstand the economic pressure being applied. This intensified economic campaign is being referred to as an "economic D-day" aimed at crippling Iran's financial capabilities.

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Iran could not handle the economic pressure being put on it.

Concurrently, US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott reiterated President Donald Trump's firm stance on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Pigott stated that the president is determined to see this threat end, one way or another, and is taking concrete actions to prevent it from materializing.

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The president has been clear that he is going to see the Iranian nuclear weapons threat come to an end.

Pigott contrasted Trump's proactive approach with that of past presidents, who he claimed merely identified the threat. He stressed that Trump is actively working to prevent the "untenable threat of the Iranian regime having a nuclear weapon."

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He will see that objective be completed one way or another.