February 10, 2026 | 07:35 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - US President Donald Trump is currently pushing for a diplomatic settlement with Iran. The statement was conveyed by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who called on Iran to accept the deal offered by Washington.
“The president has been clear to Iran: he wants a negotiated settlement. I think it would be a wise choice for them to take him up on that deal,” Hegseth said during the national tour of the Arsenal of Freedom in Bath, Maine, as quoted from Anadolu on Monday, February 8.
Hegseth added that the diplomatic preference of the US government is supported by the unmatched military capability of the United States.
“The world saw America’s capabilities. Peace through strength, deterrence in action. We were out of Iran before Iran even knew we were there. No other country can do that,” he said, referring to the US attacks on Iran during the 12-day war last June.
Hegseth's statement comes ahead of the next round of negotiations between the US and Iran, which resumed in Oman last Friday after being suspended for almost eight months. Indirect negotiations had been delayed following US attacks on three major nuclear sites in Iran last June.
Israeli Provocation
According to reports from TRT World on February 1, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously held a security meeting with senior officials, including Army Chief, Eyal Zamir, who had just returned from the US after discussing Iran with Washington officials. Mossad Director, David Barnea, was also present, as reported by KAN.
Zamir expected the US to launch a military attack on Iran within the next two weeks to two months. "This is a period of uncertainty," Zamir was quoted as saying on Army Radio.
However, an attack in the coming days is considered unlikely. Some Israeli officials expressed concern that Trump could reach a deal with Iran without addressing Tehran's ballistic missile program.
Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, also met with Zamir following his talks in Washington, to review the military operational readiness to face all possibilities.
Some Israeli officials believe that the US needs to attack Iran to prevent the advancement of Tehran's nuclear program.
The financial newspaper in Israel, The Calcalist, even estimated that the potential cost of war could reach $10 billion, depending on the duration and nature of the conflict.
Some in the US have stated that it is in Israel's interest to attack Iran, while Trump has expressed his reluctance. Iran has long been considered Israel's archenemy for attempting to thwart the country's actions in the Middle East, including supporting Palestinian independence and opposing the genocide in Gaza.
Read: US, Iran Indirect Talks in Oman End with No Major Concessions
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