Hegseth Snaps Back At Rude Reporter During Heated Pentagon Briefing On Iran [WATCH]

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth interrupted a Pentagon briefing Wednesday to address what he described as a disruptive exchange with a reporter, as he fielded questions about Iran, U.S. military posture, and a recently brokered ceasefire, as reported by Fox News.

The moment occurred after Hegseth finished responding to earlier questions about Iran’s nuclear capabilities and what he called a “new regime” dynamic. As he began to call on another reporter, a separate question was shouted from the briefing room.

“Excuse me, why are you so rude? Just wait. I’m calling on people,” Hegseth said, pausing the briefing to address the interruption. “Thank you.”

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He then added, “So nasty” under his breath before continuing with the briefing.

The reporter Hegseth had initially recognized proceeded with her question, referencing a statement made by President Donald Trump on Truth Social about potential military action against Iran.

“Yesterday, in the president’s Truth Social, he threatened to wipe out a civilization. That statement elicited a huge response in America,” she said.

“If Iran did not come to the table and make a deal yesterday by the deadline, was the president really prepared to wipe out Iran entirely?”

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Hegseth responded by describing the range of U.S. military options that had been prepared ahead of negotiations.

“Like I said, we had a target set locked and loaded of infrastructure, bridges, power plants,” Hegseth said.

“Remember this is a terror regime. The military regime used all of these things for dual use to fund their military, to fund their terror campaigns.”

He continued by explaining how those capabilities were intended to serve as leverage.

“They knew exactly the scope of what we were capable of,” Hegseth said. “We hit some military targets on Kharg, which is a bit of a signal. They can’t defend it.”

According to Hegseth, that posture influenced Iran’s decision to engage in negotiations.

“Iran ultimately understood their ability, their future to produce, to generate power, to fuel their terrorist regime was in our hands. It was in President Trump’s hands,” he said. “That’s why they came to the table.”

Hegseth also pointed to the threat of additional strikes as a factor in reaching a ceasefire agreement.

“He ultimately said, ‘We can take it all from you. Your ability to export energy will be taken away, and the United States military has the ability to strike those things with impunity,’” Hegseth said, referencing Trump.

“That type of threat is what brought them to the place where they effectively say, ‘Hey, OK, we want to cut this deal.’”

Earlier in the briefing, Hegseth addressed questions regarding Iran’s nuclear program and reiterated the administration’s position on nuclear capabilities.

“It’s always been non-negotiable that they won’t have nuclear capabilities,” he said. “They will either give it to us voluntarily… or if we have to do something else ourselves… we reserve that opportunity.”

The exchange came as the Pentagon continues to outline its role in supporting U.S. foreign policy objectives related to Iran, including military readiness and enforcement of conditions tied to the ceasefire.

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