Hegseth: 'We didn't start this war but under President Trump we're finishing it' [View all]

Source: NPR

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said Monday the U.S.-Israeli action against Iran was in response to the Islamic republic's years-long targeting of the U.S. military and interests around the world.

"We didn't start this war but under President Trump we're finishing it," he said.

The remarks are the administration's first in public to reporters since the U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran began Saturday despite weeks of talks designed to stave off a conflict. That operation – and Iran's retaliation – has resulted in the death of Iran's supreme leader and some of its senior leadership, embroiled other Middle Eastern nations in the conflict, and led to the deaths of four American service members in Kuwait.

"This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change," Hegseth said. "And the world is better off for it."



Read more: https://www.npr.org/2026/03/02/nx-s1-5732258/us-iran-hegseth-caine

---

tRump's chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also commented that the military objective will be difficult to achieve.

What the hell is the objective of Operation Epic Distraction?