WASHINGTON, Jan 29  – U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday the U.S. military will be prepared to carry out whatever President Donald Trump decides on Iran to ensure Tehran does not pursue nuclear weapons capability.

With a large U.S. military force gathered in the region, Hegseth was asked by Trump at a cabinet meeting to comment on the situation.

“They should not pursue nuclear capabilities. We will be prepared to deliver whatever this president expects of the War Department,” Hegseth said, referring to the Trump administration’s unofficial renaming of the Defense Department.

U.S. officials say Trump is reviewing his options but has not decided whether to strike Iran.

U.S.-Iranian tensions soared following a bloody crackdown on protests across Iran by its clerical authorities in recent weeks.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene if Iran continued to kill protesters, but the countrywide demonstrations over economic privations and political repression have since abated.

He has said the United States would act if Tehran resumed its nuclear program after the June airstrikes by Israeli and U.S. forces on key nuclear installations.

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(Reporting by Steve Holland, Susan Heavey and Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by David Ljunggren, Rod Nickel)