The US defence secretary has said he still hopes Iran will return to the negotiating table, where “they know precisely what steps they can take” to meet US demands, Al Jazeera reports.

“I can only confirm that there are both public and private messages being delivered to the Iranians in multiple channels, giving them every opportunity to come to the table,” he told reporters.

Hegseth also stressed that the scope of the US’s attacks was “intentionally limited — that’s the message we’re sending.”

However, he said that the US military’s capabilities are “nearly unlimited”.

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