Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Hegseth indicates US’s Gulf allies are ‘going on offense’ against Iran
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
US War Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, March 4, 2026. (AP/Konstantin Toropin)
US War Secretary Pete Hegseth intimates that the US’s Gulf Arab allies might join in the attacks on Iran, saying they are “going on offense.”
“What you’re seeing right now is a response in the region to the belligerence of Iran,” he says.
“On different levels, they’re reaching out to us,” he says, “whether they’re going on offense, which they are, whether they’re giving us additional access, basing and overflight, we’re working very closely and collaborating with them.”
He also says that none of the US objectives in Iran are “premised on the support or arming of any particular force,” in response to a question about reports that the US is planning to arm an Iranian Kurdish uprising.
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