U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday gave a full-throated defense of the United States\u2019 actions in the escalating war with Iran during the Defense Department\u2019s first detailed briefing since the operation began on Saturday. Hegseth, who appeared alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, pushed back on early critiques of the war, which was launched without congressional approval and amid ongoing diplomatic talks with Iran.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t start this war, but under President [Donald] Trump, we\u2019re finishing it,\u201d Hegseth said, accusing Iran of waging a \u201csavage, one-sided war against America\u201d for 47 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey didn\u2019t always declare it openly, except for their constant chants of \u2018death to America.\u2019 They did it through the blood of our people, car bombs in Beirut, rocket attacks on our ships, murders at our embassies, roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan, funded and armed by Iranian Quds Force and IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] killers,\u201d Hegseth said.<\/p>\n
Hegseth\u2019s characterization of who started the war is false. While there is no doubt that there have been years of tensions between Washington and Tehran that have led to both direct and indirect hostilities\u2014and hundreds<\/a> of U.S. troops are estimated to have been killed by Iran-backed militias in Iraq\u2014the first shots in the current conflict were fired by the United States and Israel.<\/p>\n The Pentagon chief also suggested that Iran was not serious about diplomacy with the United States over its nuclear program. \u201cTehran was not negotiating,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cThey were stalling, buying time to reload their missile stockpiles and restart their nuclear ambitions. Their goal: hold us hostage, threatening to strike our forces. President Trump doesn\u2019t play those games.\u201d<\/p>\n On that last point, Hegseth\u2019s claim again appears to be false, as Trump administration officials reportedly told<\/a> members of Congress that there was no intelligence suggesting that Iran planned to strike U.S. forces first.<\/p>\n Hegseth also denied that the war was about regime change. \u201cThis is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change, and the world is better off for it,\u201d Hegseth declared, in an apparent reference to the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/a>, who was killed by an Israeli strike on Saturday.<\/p>\n But Trump has openly endorsed regime change from the moment that he announced the operation. In a video statement posted on Saturday, Trump said, \u201cTo the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. \u2026 Take over your government.\u201d<\/p>\n Later in Monday\u2019s briefing while taking questions, Hegseth also echoed this call from Trump. \u201cI think the message the president has given has been clear: To the people of Iran, this is your moment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The briefing came amid open questions about Trump\u2019s endgame in the war, on top of criticism that the operation\u2014along with other military actions taken by the president\u2014undermines his campaign pledge of \u201cno new wars.\u201d Trump had vowed to keep the United States out of \u201cforever wars\u201d and nation-building conflicts such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n But Hegseth rejected any suggestions that the new conflict is akin to the war in Iraq. \u201cTo the media outlets and political left screaming \u2018endless wars!\u2019 Stop. This is not Iraq. This is not endless. I was there for both. Our generation knows better, and so does this president. He called the last 20 years of nation-building wars \u2018dumb.\u2019 And he\u2019s right. This is the opposite,\u201d he said. Hegseth is a former infantry officer<\/a> in the U.S. Army National Guard who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n Hegseth said the United States\u2019 objectives in the war are to destroy the Iranian missile threat and navy and ensure that the country can never obtain a nuclear weapon\u2014an ambition that Tehran has long denied having. Throwing cold water on this notion, Hegseth said that \u201cpeaceful nuclear ambitions do not need to be buried underneath mountains,\u201d alluding to the Iranian nuclear facility at Fordow, which was among those targeted last June<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Pentagon chief was clear that the Trump administration will not be apologetic about its approach to this war. \u201cNo stupid rules of engagement, no nation-building quagmire, no democracy-building exercise, no politically correct wars. We fight to win, and we don\u2019t waste time or lives,\u201d Hegseth said.<\/p>\n Caine seemed to add yet another, arguably more ambitious goal of the war effort, saying that the U.S. military objectives are \u201cto protect and defend ourselves, and together with our regional partners, prevent Iran from the ability to project power outside of its borders.\u201d<\/p>\n Four U.S. service members have so far been killed in the war, nicknamed Operation Epic Fury, which Hegseth and Caine both acknowledged. \u201cThey\u2019re heroes and represent the best our nation has to offer,\u201d Caine said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe expect to take additional losses, and as always, we will work to minimize U.S. losses,\u201d Caine added, emphasizing that this \u201cis not a single, overnight operation\u201d and in \u201csome cases\u201d will involve \u201cdifficult and gritty work.\u201d The top U.S. general said that more troops are being deployed to the region, though he did not offer specific numbers.<\/p>\n Hegseth offered some new details on the circumstances that led to the deaths of U.S. service members, revealing that the troops were killed when a munition struck a tactical operations center. Reports have suggested that the fatalities occurred in Kuwait, though Hegseth did not specify a location.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have incredible air defenders. Every once in a while, you might have one, unfortunately\u2014we call it a \u2018squirter\u2019\u2014that makes its way through,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cAnd in that particular case, it happened to hit a tactical operations center that was fortified, but these are powerful weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Caine also touched on the accidental downing of three U.S. fighter jets by Kuwaiti air defenses. \u201cI am aware of the loss of three U.S. F-15Es overnight in the region,\u201d Caine said. \u201cI am grateful for the safety of the crews, and we know it was not from hostile enemy fire.\u201d<\/p>\n Notably, Hegseth would not rule out boots on the ground during Monday\u2019s briefing, even as some of Trump\u2019s top Republican allies in Congress who have been cheerleading the operation\u2014such as Sen. Lindsey Graham\u2014continue to suggest<\/a> that doing so would not be necessary<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not going into the exercise of [saying] what we will or will not do,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cPresident Trump ensures that our enemies understand we\u2019ll go as far as we need to go to advance American interests.\u201d<\/p>\n Hegseth added, \u201cBut we\u2019re not \u200bdumb about it. You don\u2019t have to roll 200,000 people in there and stay 20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n