Hegseth Defends Iran War as Impeachment Threat Looms
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth defends Iran war as “courageous and historic” and has vowed to fight impeachment efforts in Congress, after voters punished Republicans over the war in this week’s midterm elections.
Hegseth issued the defence in a video message on Thursday, as taunts from his foes in Congress grew louder and Trump brushed aside questions about firing him.
Hegseth defends Iran war as impeachment threat grows
The top Democrat in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, asked in a post: “Why is Pete Hegseth still around?”
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has become a polarising figure who has made enemies even within his own Republican Party. Critics in Congress are targeting his conduct of the Iran war, his firing of top military officers and his strained relations with lawmakers, as the administration seeks a $1.5 trillion defence spending package.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie promised to reintroduce articles of impeachment against Hegseth next week. He warned that impeachment would be “much gentler” than what awaits him once Republicans cede control of Congress to Democrats next year. “They’ll have hearings & trials,” Massie wrote on X.
In a video of more than four minutes, Hegseth boasted about firing senior Pentagon leaders, ending diversity initiatives and banning transgender individuals from the military.
“You see, they attack me – they attack us – because we are effective. It’s not going to work. We will not back down,” Hegseth said to the camera.
Calling the impeachment effort a “sham”, Hegseth noted that Trump himself was impeached twice. “It’s all about the politics of personal destruction. It didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that,” he said.
Trump praises Hegseth but his future stays unclear
Trump praised Hegseth on Thursday, saying his defence secretary had “done a fantastic job” and suggesting the opposition to him was tied to his firing of generals.
“We had so many generals. Everybody was a four-star general. I never saw anything like it. And many of those people were woke. I don’t like a woke general. And so, he probably has opposition,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump also praised Hegseth’s role in US military operations in Venezuela and Iran. “Venezuela has been unbelievable … and in Iran, we are there for seven months and we control everything that we’ve wanted to control,” he said.
Sources have said Trump could still replace Hegseth as Republicans assess their election losses. One Trump adviser said Hegseth “could be on the chopping block” because of the Iran war.
Trump had already backed Hegseth publicly as the midterm results came in, but the latest remarks leave the question open.
Vance questions whether the war was worth it
On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance publicly questioned whether the Iran war was worth it and said it cost Republicans control of Congress. The remarks raised questions about whether Trump might still go ahead with a threatened resumption of major combat operations against Iran.
Washington has drawn up strike plans against Iran, stepped up a drone surge across the Middle East and struck targets on Qeshm Island.
For Pakistan, the war sits close to home. Islamabad has been engaging Tehran to defuse tensions while the conflict strains trade, energy prices and regional stability.
Hegseth also appealed to “patriotic” lawmakers to pass a funding request that aims to help the Pentagon pay for the Iran war and other spending priorities. “Regardless of how people feel about the war, which I believe is a courageous and historic effort that will ensure Iran never gets nuclear weapons, we need to continue, as President Trump did in his first term, to rebuild our military,” Hegseth said.
Republican US Senator Thom Tillis told CBS News on Tuesday night that Hegseth has “a reckoning” coming. Representative Adam Smith, the Democrat expected to lead the House Armed Services Committee next year, promised vigorous oversight on everything from the Iran war to what he called the erosion of the “apolitical foundation of the armed forces”.
Why is Pete Hegseth facing impeachment?
Republican Representative Thomas Massie has promised to reintroduce articles of impeachment next week, citing the Iran war, the firing of top officers and strained relations with lawmakers.
What did Hegseth say about the Iran war?
He called it a “courageous and historic effort that will ensure Iran never gets nuclear weapons” and vowed: “We will not back down.”
What did JD Vance say about the war?
Vance questioned whether the Iran war was worth it and said it cost Republicans control of Congress in the midterm elections.
Will Trump fire Hegseth?
Trump has praised Hegseth and said he has “done a fantastic job”, but sources say he could still replace him as Republicans assess their election losses.
