Pete Hegseth denies Iran war is a 'quagmire' as cost to US hits estimated $25bn

[Jilly_in_VA]

Pete Hegseth has denied that the US-Israel war on Iran is “a quagmire” and claimed critics of the operation posed a greater threat to the US than Iran itself, as he came under pressure to set out Washington’s strategy for the conflict.

Appearing before the House armed services committee alongside Gen Dan Caine, chair of the joint chiefs of staff, the US defense secretary asked lawmakers to approve a $1.5tn budget in military spending – and then described some of them as “the biggest challenge” to the war effort.

“The biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,” he declared. These remarks did not appear in prepared written statement submitted to the committee.

Two months into a conflict that Donald Trump predicted would last four to six weeks, Hegseth invoked the US’s long and painful deployments in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan – wars he previously criticized bitterly – as a benchmark for endurance. The war against Iran, he said, was “an existential fight for the safety of the American people”, and the administration was “proud of this undertaking”.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/29/pete-hegseth-denies-iran-war-is-a-quagmire-as-estimated-us-cost-so-far-hits-25bn

The picture of him with his mouth open laughing is perfect backpfeifengesicht! (Y'all should know what THAT means!)

[Journeyman]

1. So the Iranians' quest for nuclear weapons is eternal? . . .

There was also a tense exchange between Hegseth and Rep. Adam Smith (WA, ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee) in the hearing, when Hegseth declared that Iran’s nuclear facilities had been “obliterated”.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. We had to start this war, you just said, because the nuclear weapon was an imminent threat. Now you’re saying it was completely obliterated?” Smith asked. When Hegseth replied that Iran had not abandoned its nuclear ambitions, Smith pressed on: “So Operation Midnight Hammer accomplished nothing of substance.”

“You’re missing the point,” Hegseth said.

By Kegsbreath's logic, we're justified in attacking Iran whenever we believe someone in the country is thinking about the possibility of maybe developing a nuclear weapon, if they had the material and knowledge. Kind of an open-ended ploy for eternal destruction (both of Iran, and the rest of the world).

[Coolgoober]

2. Critics

Of the ( Iran) operation posed a greater risk to the US than Iran itself????? Are you f'n kidding me? Or are the critics just a risk to the egos of Trump and Hegseth? The War is a quagmire and the whole world knows it. They are either appalled or they're laughing or both