Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, where Democratic lawmakers questioned him on the state of the war in Iran.
The committee’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, noted that Iran was previously contained without launching a war and that ongoing attacks haven’t reduced the country’s nuclear program. He added that negotiations appear to revolve around returning to the prewar status quo, with Iran demanding concessions and delaying nuclear talks.
“So what is the plan to actually turn all of this lethal kinetic action into an improvement in the nuclear situation? Because we haven’t gotten there yet,” Smith said. “Play it out for us. How does that happen? How does it actually lead to that result?”
Hegseth responded by deflecting with criticisms of former President Joe Biden.
“That’s the past,” Smith interrupted. “What’s the future?”
Hegseth ultimately framed the strategy as President Donald Trump applying sustained pressure, describing a high-stakes staring contest with Iran and claiming U.S. actions have “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities—an assertion not supported by available evidence.
“We had to start this war, you just said, 60 days ago, because the nuclear weapon was an imminent threat,” Smith responded. “So Operation Midnight Hammer accomplished nothing of substance.”
Related | Trump lashes out as Iran war spirals out of control
Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts took a more direct approach, asking whether the U.S. is actually winning.
After Hegseth responded “absolutely,” Moulton pointed to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz as evidence to the contrary, dismissing the former Fox News host’s response as detached from reality.
Hegseth then argued that Trump’s blockade somehow supersedes Iran’s ability to control the Strait.
“That’s like saying ‘Tag you’re it,’” Moulton shot back. “Or, you know, if President [James] Madison had said, ‘Well, the British just burned down Washington, but don’t worry, we’re going to burn it down as well.’”
The only clear takeaway from Hegseth’s appearance is that the decisive, “short excursion” the Trump administration promised in Iran is increasingly resembling the kind of open-ended, forever war the GOP has long vowed to avoid.
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