Iran latest: Hegseth says US ready to 'finish the job' if negotiations with Iran fail

As peace negotiations between the United States and Iran continue, President Donald Trump was expected to assemble his Cabinet at Camp David, but the meeting is instead going to be held at the White House because of expected bad weather. 

President Trump posted over the weekend that the deal between the U.S. and Iran was nearly complete and only needed to be finalized. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also indicated that an agreement may be imminent, predicting one could be finalized in a "couple of days."

Meanwhile, Iranian leaders condemned recent strikes by the U.S. as violations of the ongoing ceasefire and an indication of "bad faith and unreliability" from Washington.

Tuesday’s response from Tehran came a day after the U.S. military revealed attacks in southern Iran and described the incidents as defensive in nature, happening after boats were spotted laying mines and a missile site locked onto American warplanes. Iran’s foreign minister warned the Middle Eastern nation "will leave no act of aggression unanswered."

U.S. President Donald Trump (C) speaks as (L-R) U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, U.S. Secr

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Here's the latest:

Trump: 'Nobody's going to control the Strait'

1:04 pm. ET: President Trump insisted that no country will be in control of the Strait of Hormuz, to include a warning to nations who would hope to manage passage of the waterway.

"International waters, nobody's going to control it," Trump said to reporters at the Cabinet meeting. "We're going to watch over it. We'll watch over it. But nobody's going to control it."

In another warning, President Trump also referenced Oman. Iranian state TV recently said they could help manage shipping traffic under a negotiated framework. 

"And Oman will behave just like everybody else," Trump said. "So we'll have to blow them up. They understand that. They'll be fine."

Hegseth says US is ready to ‘finish the job’

12:53 p.m. ET: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the United States is ready to "finish the job" if negotiations with Iran are not able to work out. 

"So whether it is through the efforts of your negotiators that they ensure that they never have a nuclear weapon, or we have to go back to the War Department to finish the job that way, we're prepared to do that," Hegseth said at Wednesday's monthly Cabinet meeting at the White House.

Trump says Iran is trying to ‘outwait’ him

12:44 p.m. ET: Speaking to the media at the White House Cabinet meeting, President Trump said Iran is trying to "outwait" him as they negotiate for a new deal. 

He added that Iran is "negotiating on fumes," accusing them of delay tactics. 

"Iran is very much intent, they want very much to make a deal – so far they haven't gotten there," Trump said at the meeting.

Rubio: Next few days ‘hours and days’ critical to peace

12:34 p.m. ET: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said progress has been made toward a potential deal with iran. However, the next few "hours and days" will be critical in making a determination of peace and denuclearization talks. 

"The president's preference, Mr. President, your preference is, he told us repeatedly, as always, to negotiate these things and to figure out if you can have agreements," Rubio said at Wednesday's Cabinet meeting. "Diplomacy is always the first option, and we continue to work on that through your envoys, Mr. [Steve] Witkoff and [Jared] Kushner and others.

Planned Camp David Cabinet meeting moved to White House

6:50 a.m. ET: President Trump planned to convene a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, the presidential retreat that has historically been used for major national security and diplomatic missions. However, President Trump said the meeting will be held at the White House because of concerns of severe weather. 

"Based on the possible bad weather conditions tomorrow, we will be having our Cabinet Meeting in the White House, and will be postponing the Cabinet trip to Camp David," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

All Cabinet members are expected to attend the meeting, including outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.