Hegseth says US is ‘locked and loaded’ to finish job of destroying Iran energy grid
US defense secretary says Iran’s energy infrastructure is ‘not destroyed yet’ while also lambasting the media
Joseph Gedeon in Washington
Thu 16 Apr 2026 10.19 EDT
Iran’s energy infrastructure is “not destroyed yet” and the US is “locked and loaded” to finish the job, Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, said on Thursday as he called many of the press corps gathered the moral equivalent of the Pharisees who conspired to destroy Jesus Christ.
Hegseth’s comments from the Pentagon podium came as a naval blockade of Iranian ports began this week and he called on Tehran to accept a nuclear deal or face consequences for its remaining infrastructure, power generation and energy industry.
“We are reloading with more power than ever before, and better intelligence, even more importantly, better intelligence than ever before,” he said.
“You are digging out your remaining launchers and missiles with no ability to replace them. You can dig out for now. Can’t reconstitute, but we can,” he also said about Iran’s military leadership.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/16/pete-hegseth-iran-energy-infrastructure
