Hegseth says US is ‘finishing’ war it did not start with Iran after joint Israel strikes

WASHINGTON, DC: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, March 2, defended the Trump administration’s military campaign against Iran, saying Washington was responding to nearly five decades of hostility from Tehran following joint US-Israeli strikes launched on Saturday.

Speaking at a press briefing from the Pentagon, Hegseth said the Iranian regime had “waged a savage, one-sided war against America” for 47 years, arguing that the latest military action was long overdue. “We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it.” 

Hegseth said, underscoring the administration’s view that the conflict was imposed on the United States rather than chosen.

Hegseth conveys Trump’s message to adversaries

Hegseth said President Donald Trump had sent a stark message to adversaries worldwide, stressing that American power would be used decisively to protect its citizens.

“Being an American means something unbreakable,” Hegseth said, “If you kill Americans, if you threaten Americans anywhere on Earth, we will hunt you down without apology and without hesitation, and we will kill you,” he added. 

Hegseth laid out what he described as the administration’s core justification for striking Iran, alleging that Tehran was rapidly expanding its military capabilities.

“Iran was building powerful missiles and drones to create a conventional shield for their nuclear blackmail ambitions,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly pointed to Iran’s nuclear program as a central reason behind authorizing US military action, warning that Tehran could not be allowed to use nuclear leverage against Washington and its allies, including Israel.

Hegseth says it is ‘not a regime change war’

While acknowledging the scale of the operation, Hegseth insisted the campaign was not designed to forcibly remake Iran’s political system.

“This is not a so-called regime change war,” he said. “But the regime sure did change, and the world is better off for it.”

The remarks came even as Trump publicly urged Iranians to “take over” their government, comments that critics say blur the administration’s stated limits on the conflict.

Hegseth rejected comparisons to the Iraq War

Seeking to draw a clear distinction from past US military interventions, Hegseth rejected comparisons to the Iraq War, arguing that Washington would avoid the prolonged nation-building efforts that defined the last two decades.

“This is not Iraq,” Hegseth said. “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 dumb, and he’s right.”

Describing the mission as tightly focused, Hegseth said the objective was straightforward and finite. “This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission. Destroy the missile threat, destroy the Navy, no nukes,” he added.