Wisconsin, Aug. 25 -- US War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday (local time) said the United States is prepared to use military force against Iran, including in the Strait of Hormuz, saying Washington is "by no means" ruling out kinetic strikes as it continues to exert economic pressure on Tehran.

Asked whether kinetic strikes are currently on pause, Hegseth said, "No. If we need to use kinetic strikes, we'll use them. If Iran is foolish enough to overplay their hand or mess with the American military, we'll do what we need to do. But economic pressure, we know, hurts them the most right now. And by no means are we foreclosing using kinetic strikes anywhere in the Strait of Hormuz or around Iran."

Hegseth made the remarks on the sidelines...