Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was criticized after he claimed that the U.S. "didn't start this war" with Iran—just days after the Trump administration authorized an attack on various sites in Iran with the joint efforts of Israel over the weekend.
The war against Iran is already spreading beyond its initial battlefield. Iranian reprisals have struck Gulf states hosting U.S. bases—including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia—while Hezbollah has entered the fight, firing rockets into Israel and ending a month-long ceasefire.
Hegseth earlier said the mission is to destroy Iran’s missiles, production capacity, navy and security infrastructure and ensure it never develops nuclear weapons. But what comes after those goals are met remains unclear. Trump has urged Iranians to revolt, even as the regime reshuffles leadership following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Trump said that the U.S. military was "knocking the crap out of Iran but the big wave of attacks is yet to come" and has not ruled out putting boots on the ground, saying the war is progressing "way ahead of schedule." He freely admitted that the purpose of the strikes was effectively regime change.
Speaking to the press, Hegseth said that Iran has “waged a savage, one-sided war” for “47 long years” even if the country’s leadership didn’t “declare it openly," adding:
“We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it. Their war on Americans has been our retribution against their Ayatollah and his death cult."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Hegseth framed the conflict by citing broad grievances—from anti-American rhetoric in Iran to attacks elsewhere in the region—but no one was buying his attempt to rewrite the narrative.
Trump sure seems happy to have started the war, regardless of whatever Hegseth might want people to believe.
Speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper, he said the U.S. has "got the greatest military in the world and we’re using it." Trump promised the U.S. military would hit Iran with even more of its might, saying that "the big wave hasn’t even happened" and that "the big one is coming soon.”
Despite this, Trump said Iran's retaliatory attacks on neighboring Arab countries have been "the biggest surprise," as if he expected Iran to stand idly by. He said the Iranians "were going to be very little involved and now they insist on being involved," adding that he would like not to see the fighting "go on" for more than four weeks.
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