Donald Trump with his “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth.Image: keystone
The US President causes a strange moment during an appearance. He explains, seemingly casually, that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was the first to speak out in favor of the Iran war.
Mar 24, 2026, 4:55 a.mMar 24, 2026, 7:14 am
Donald Trump has maneuvered himself into a dead end in the Iran war. With control of the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranians have leverage that is shaking up the global economy according to many experts The US President is now in a position where he can almost only lose.
In this context, a recent statement by Trump at a panel discussion in Memphis seems all the more strange. The 79-year-old spoke again about the war with Iran and the supposedly positive talks that would now be held. Trump explained that he had always warned about Iran and the nuclear danger posed by the regime in Tehran. This should never have a nuclear weapon.
That’s why he spoke to Defense Minister and the highest general Dan Caine about the possibility of a “short trip” to Iran, i.e. a military intervention. And then, said Trump as he turned to his minister Hegseth on the podium, “I think it was you, Pete, who first spoke up for it.” According to Trump, Hegseth said:
“Let’s do it because they can’t get a nuclear weapon.”
It is unclear why the US President told the anecdote seemingly casually. Many commentators on social media suspect that Trump is trying to shift responsibility given the unpromising situation in the war.
Defense Minister Hegseth has not yet commented on Trump’s statement. This also represents a new contradiction. Last year, after the air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, Trump claimed that the Iranian nuclear program had been completely destroyed.
Right from the start, the US President made contradictory statements about the justifications and goals of the war with Iran. While he once cited the Iranian nuclear program as the reason, in other appearances he spoke of possible Iranian intercontinental ballistic missiles or of the overthrow of the brutal regime as the goal of the war. (con)
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