Hegseth: "Iran's Military Has Been Reduced to a Gang of Pirates With a Flag"

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered a scathing assessment of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during a Pentagon briefing on April 24, 2026. Hegseth characterized Iran’s "battered" military as nothing more than a "gang of pirates with a flag," arguing that their recent actions on the high seas have stripped away any remaining thin veil of military legitimacy. He mocked the IRGC's tactics, describing them as "criminals" who use small speedboats and AK-47s to harass civilian shipping. The Secretary clarified that the vessels recently targeted by Iran were not American or Israeli assets, but "random ships" caught in the crosshairs of desperate, indiscriminate attacks. Hegseth asserted that while "anyone with a speedboat and a gun" can commit acts of terror, the United States maintains absolute control over global shipping lanes. He concluded that the world now sees the Iranian regime for what it truly is: a collection of maritime bad actors whose actual navy has been "sunk to the bottom of the Arabian Gulf.” #PeteHegseth #IRGC #IranWar #OperationEpic Fury #StraitOfHormuz #BreakingNews #USNavy #NationalSecurity #Pentagon #Trump2026