Pete Hegseth claims ‘Iran begged for this ceasefire’: Live

US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth claimed today that Iran begged for a ceasefire

At a Pentagon press briefing, Hegseth added that Trump achieved ‘victory with a capital V.’

Iran’s ambassador to the UN said his nation will approach peace talks with caution.

Ali Bahreini said: ‘We ​are not putting any trust in the other ​side. Our military forces ​are keeping their ​preparedness…but meanwhile, we will go ​for negotiations to see how serious the other side is.’

General Dan Caine said today that the ceasefire was only a temporary pause in the current conflict.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff added: ‘The joint force remains ready… to resume combat operations with the same speed and precision.’

Answering journalists’ questions, Hegseth said that Iran will either give the US its enriched uranium, or the military will ‘take it out.’

The Financial Times reported this afternoon that Saudi Arabia’s east-west oil pipeline, which carried crude oil from the Gulf to the Red Sea, has been attacked by a drone.

One of several pumping stations along the 746-mile-long pipeline was reportedly hit at around 1pm local time today.

Damage is still being assessed. It comes several hours after both Iran and the US agreed to the cessation of fighting in the Middle East.

Downing Street today released a joint statement alongside the EU and several nations, promising to ensure ‘freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.’

The statement was signed by the leaders of the European Council, European Commission, Japan, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Germany, Italy and France.

It reads:

We welcome the two-week ceasefire concluded between the United States and Iran today. We thank Pakistan and all partners involved for facilitating this important agreement.

The goal must now be to negotiate a swift and lasting end to the war within the coming days. This can only be achieved through diplomatic means. We strongly encourage quick progress towards a substantive negotiated settlement.

This will be crucial to protect the civilian population of Iran and ensure security in the region. It can avert a severe global energy crisis. We support these diplomatic efforts. To this end, we are in close contact with the United States and other partners.

We call upon all sides to implement the ceasefire, including in Lebanon. Our Governments will contribute to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Hegseth added that the US-Iran deal means Iran ‘will never ever possess a nuclear weapon’.

He said: ‘The new Iranian regime understood that a deal was far better than the fate that awaited them. This new regime was out of options and out of time, so they cut a deal.’

General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Pentagon briefing that the 38-day bombing campaign destroyed 80% of Iran’s air defence systems.

On top of this, 800 one-day attack drone storage sites were hit, as well as 450 ballistic missile storage facilities and more than 150 ships.

He reiterated Hegseth’s point about destroying Iran’s defence industry, claiming it would take years for the regime to rebuild.