US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth today took a swipe at America’s European allies for their refusal to assist it in its fight against Iran.

Hegseth was speaking at a Pentagon press briefing following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran.

In his speech on Wednesday, Hegseth lauded Israel as a ‘brave, willing and capable ally’ to the US, adding that other ‘so-called allies saw what real capability looks like – they should take some notes.’

This tension follows weeks of vocal criticism from Donald Trump, who has expressed growing anger toward allies like the UK and France for their lack of support in the war with Iran. 

Asked at the White House on Monday whether he had spoken to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and if the UK could ‘resurrect like Jesus this Easter weekend’, Trump replied, ‘Well, that’s what they need.

‘They have a long way to go, the UK has a long way to go,’ before adding, ‘we don’t want another Neville Chamberlain, do we agree?’

Last week, the US President also mocked Starmer for his response to the Middle East conflict.

He mimicked the prime minister, saying he had to ask his team about sending ‘two broken-down aircraft carriers’ to the Middle East.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Wednesday, April 8

The US President has been angry with Starmer for weeks for refusing to let US airplanes use British bases for sorties over Iran.

Starmer has since changed his mind but has refused to send British troops and ships to the Strait of Hormuz, which carries 20 percent of the world’s oil.

Trump previously described Britain’s aircraft carriers as ‘toys compared to what we have’.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on March 26, the US President said: ‘The British said “we’ll send our aircraft carriers” – which aren’t the best aircraft carriers by the way, they are toys compared to what we have – “we’ll send our aircraft carrier when the war is over”. I said “that’s wonderful, thank you very much – don’t bother”.’

Last month, the US President called on Nato nations to help him reopen the narrow passageway, but he was rebuffed by European capitals which said it would be impossible while fighting was ongoing, with several also claiming that this was ‘not our war’.

Nato allies have repeatedly said that Trump’s war on Iran does not engage Article 5, meaning they are not obliged to join the conflict. 

Trump subsequently branded countries in the alliance ‘cowards’, adding that ‘Without the USA, NATO IS A PAPER TIGER.’ 

And last week, furious Trump continued his attack, mocking French President Emmanuel Macron for being shoved by his wife, Brigitte.

He was referencing a viral video from 2025 that appeared to show the French First Lady pushing her husband’s face as they prepared to disembark from a plane on a visit to Vietnam.

Trump continued by poking fun at Macron’s French accent and claiming that he only approached France for help on Iran as a formality: ‘We didn’t need them, but I asked anyway.’

Macron told reporters that the US president’s comments were ‘neither elegant nor up to standard’ on Thursday, adding that ‘they do not merit a response.’

Macron also emphasised it would be unrealistic to launch a military operation to force open the waterway, despite Trump’s demands. 

Hegseth’s comments today come as Trump announced last night that Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire and will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while a ten-point peace plan is considered by both sides.

The exact terms of the deal have not been revealed. Trump told Sky News this morning: ‘They are very good points – and most of them have been fully negotiated. If it isn’t good, we’ll go right back to it very easily.’

The ceasefire came just hours after the US President sparked doomsday fears when he threatened to wipe out Iran’s ‘entire civilisation’.

At the press conference, the Secretary of War said Trump achieved ‘victory with a capital V,’ and claimed Iran begged for a ceasefire.

He added that Iran’s missile programme has been ‘functionally destroyed’ and that Iran’s navy ‘is at the bottom of the sea’. On top of this, he said, ‘we [the US] own their skies’.

Hegseth said: ‘In last night’s wave of more than 800 strikes, we… completely destroyed Iran’s defence industrial base, a core pillar of our mission objective.

‘What little they have left buried in bunkers is all they will have. They can still shoot, we know that. Their command and control is so decimated that they can’t really talk and coordinate, so they still may shoot here and there. But that would be very unwise’.

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Hegseth added that the US-Iran deal means Iran ‘will never ever possess a nuclear weapon’.

He said: ‘The new Iranian regime understood that a deal was far better than the fate that awaited them. This new regime was out of options and out of time, so they cut a deal.’

Speaking alongside Hegseth, top US General Dan Caine said that the ceasefire was only a temporary pause in the current conflict.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff added: ‘The joint force remains ready… to resume combat operations with the same speed and precision.’

The ceasefire is conditional, hinging on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint through which a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.

Trump said the ceasefire would be ‘double-sided’ and justified it by claiming the US had ‘met and exceeded all military objectives’.

Iran proposed a 10-point counter-proposal to US negotiators via Pakistani officials on Monday after the US gave Islamabad a 15-point proposal to begin a ceasefire. 

A US Delegation led by Vice President JD Vance is set to arrive in Islamabad, Pakistan on Friday to begin negotiations. 

Meanwhile, Global markets and world leaders have reacted positively to last night’s news of the ceasefire.

In Europe, Frankfurt surged a massive 5% at the opening of the market. The FTSE 100 rose 2.55% in the minutes after it opened.

Over in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei index closed up more than 5% and South Korea’s Kospi nearly 7% on Wednesday.

And Macron this morning said the deal was a ‘very good thing’.

But Trump ominously told Sky News hours after the ceasefire was announced: ‘If the [ceasefire] isn’t good, we’ll go right back to [war].’