On Monday, President Donald Trump threatened to blow Iran “off the face of the Earth” if it attacks a U.S. ship.
And since Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has sounded—and looked—like MAGA’s ideal warfighter since Trump unleashed the dogs of war two months ago, it seemed certain that he would be equally combative at the 8 a.m. Tuesday Pentagon press briefing.
But the Hegseth who had previously declared there would be “no quarter, no mercy” for the Iranians instead announced that the U.S. was launching a new initiative called “Project Freedom” to establish a “red, white, and blue dome” to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. “American forces won’t need to enter Iranian waters or airspace,” Hegseth said.
“It’s not necessary,” he explained. “We’re not looking for a fight.”
“The ceasefire is not over,” Hegseth declared—even though the firing has not ceased. He did not seem too bothered by the fact that Iran had launched missiles and drones and dispatched fast boats, which the U.S. promptly sank. He repeated that the U.S. was committed to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, but used a word few would even expect to be in his vocabulary.
“This is more than strategy,” Hegseth stated. “It’s also humanitarian. By breaking Iran’s illegal stranglehold, we’re protecting the lives and livelihoods of sailors from dozens of countries, securing global energy routes and preventing shortages that hit the world’s poorest people the hardest.”
He was actually voicing concern for the destitute—even those who are not American.
But Hegseth is ultimately a sock puppet dedicated to ingratiating himself with Trump. And that almost certainly means that Hegseth’s tempered message was what the president wanted him to convey to us.
Back on March 6, Trump declared that “there will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.”
After the Iranian regime failed to just fold, and gas prices rose, and his standing in the polls sank, Trump has, in fact, repeatedly sought to make a deal.
And, tough guy talk and little boy tantrums aside, Trump was still seeking one on Tuesday. He essentially confirmed it two hours after Hegseth’s press briefing.
In a Q&A of his own with the press after a ceremony involving the reintroduction of the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, Trump claimed, “Iran wants to make a deal.”
He added, “What I don’t like about Iran is they’ll talk to me with such great respect, and then they’ll go on television and say, ‘We did not speak to the president.’”
“They’re playing games,” he griped. “We can do anything we want to them.”
But, as was clear to anyone who witnessed a restrained Hegseth at the Pentagon briefing earlier on Tuesday, Trump had leashed up the dogs of war along with his secretary of defense.
Hegseth was also in attendance at the fitness gathering, along with several other Cabinet members and a group of youngsters not yet in their teens.
“Pete, can I ask you to say a few words?” Trump asked
“Sure,” Hegeth said. “Yes, sir.”
“And you could maybe speak a little bit about the subject that they want to hear about also, if you want,” Trump said, meaning Iran.
Hegseth spoke briefly about fitness, telling the kids that it had been important to him in school even though he had not been a top athlete.
“Competition is critical [to] who we are and ensuring America stays on top,” Hegseth said.
He then segued, “And speaking of staying on top, Mr. President, we are, as we talked about this morning. Project Freedom is ongoing; we’re ensuring that we have control of the strait, which we do. And ultimately, Iran has a choice to make.”
Hegseth may not have excelled at sports, but he has grown into a world-class sock puppet. He concluded exactly as you might have expected.
“They know we’re in a strong position. We hope [the Iranian regime] makes a wise choice. And nobody better to make that deal, Mr. President, than you.”
Trump had boosted his ego a few minutes before by falsely telling the gathering of youngsters that the 2020 election had been rigged. He appeared to be pleased by Hegseth’s cheap flattery.
“Thank you very much,” the president replied.
Yet the self-designated master of the deal had still not reached one with the regime in Iran.
On Tuesday evening, Trump announced via Truth Social that the day-old “Project Freedom” was being suspended because “Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran.”
For the moment, the person who should not have let loose the dogs in the first place was keeping them, and Hegseth, on a leash.
