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18 Jun 2026, 13:02

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized on Thursday, June 18, regarding the Islamabad agreement that the U.S. military is set to be the "big stick behind the negotiations." He also stressed that any changes in the size of the U.S. military presence in the Middle East will be "condition-based."

This is Hegseth's first comment following the signing of the Islamabad agreement between Tehran and Washington, which was also signed and formalized by the Iranian President early Thursday morning. Donald Trump had signed the document just hours earlier with Masoud Pezeshkian.

The text of the agreement that the U.S. government consented to has faced criticism even days before its signing, and this criticism intensified with the release of its full text. It seems that the Defense Secretary's remarks are somewhat a response to these criticisms. According to Pete Hegseth, the U.S. "reached an agreement with Iran from a position of strength."
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The U.S. Defense Secretary also mentioned that some European countries are ready to participate in mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz. Hegseth simultaneously urged Britain to play a broader role, stating that the country needs to "take a further step."
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