Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a series of contradictory and cringeworthy declarations while rallying support for Donald Trump’s war in Iran.
Hegseth spoke from the Pentagon for the first time on Monday after the U.S. began striking Iran overnight on Saturday in an ongoing campaign. At least four U.S. service members have been killed.
“We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it,” the former Fox News personality turned Cabinet official declared right out of the gate, while accusing Iran of hostilities and terrorist activities for decades.
The Trump administration, as of Monday morning, was 57 hours into its military operation after the president had outwardly been pushing to reach a nuclear deal with Iran for months, having ripped up the previous nuclear deal reached under President Barack Obama during his first term.
Trump has suggested without explanation that the war will last four to five weeks. He has not indicated who the U.S. would like to take over after the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change, and the world is better off for it,” Hegseth said.
The defense secretary went on to rant about the end of politically correct wars while also declaring the attack on Iran is nothing like Iraq, despite the endgame remaining unclear.
“We set the terms of this war from start to finish,” Hegseth said.
He went on to insist it would not be an endless war, but he could not say how long it would last or articulate a clear end goal, while making an eye-popping claim comparing it to previous U.S. invasions.
“This is not Iraq. This is not endless,” said Hegseth. “I was there for both. Our generation knows better, and so does this president.”
Hegseth, who is an Army National Guard veteran, suggested the attack on Iran was the “opposite” of the war in Iraq, with a “clear, devastating, decisive mission” to “destroy the missile threat.”
But he repeatedly struggled and became defensive when pressed to define the end game and refused to give his assessment on a timeline, even after Trump told multiple news outlets his own assessment of about a month. He also would not rule out boots on the ground.
The defense secretary dismissed concerns over any legal rationale for war amid criticism that it is not legal. He also praised what he called “capable partners” while bashing what he called “traditional allies who wring their hands and clutch their perls hemming and hawing about the use of force.”
“America, regardless of what so-called international institutions say, is unleashing the most lethal and precise air power campaign in history, B-2s, fighters, drones, missiles, and of course classified effects, all on our terms with maximum authority,” Hegseth declared. “No stupid rules of engagement, no nation-building quagmire, no democracy building exercise, no politically correct wars.”
He said the U.S. “fights to win” and “does not waste time or lives,” while revealing four U.S. service members have been killed and more have been injured.
Throughout his tirade, Hegseth heaped praise on Trump for his actions while delivering a series of threats to those abroad.
“It took the 47th president, a fighter who always puts America First, to finally draw the line. After 47 years of Iranian belligerence, he reminded the world, as he has time and time again, being an American means something unbreakable,” Hegseth said. “If you kill Americans, if you threaten Americans anywhere on earth, we will hunt you down without apology and without hesitation, and we will kill you.”
