Trump Says Secretary of War Pete Hegseth First Urged Strike on Iran [WATCH]

President Donald Trump said Monday that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was the first member of his administration to advocate for military action against Iran as tensions escalated over the regime’s nuclear ambitions.

Trump made the remarks during a public safety roundtable in Memphis, Tennessee, where he described consulting with senior military and national security officials about how to respond to Iran, as reported by The New York Post.

“I called a lot of our great people. We have great people, and I said, ‘Let’s talk. We got a problem in the Middle East. We have a country known as Iran that, for 47 years, has been just a purveyor of terror, and they’re close to a nuclear weapon,’” Trump said.

Here’s What They’re Not Telling You About Your Retirement

The president said Hegseth quickly supported taking action.

“Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up. And you said, ‘Let’s do it, because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,’” Trump added.

Hegseth, seated beside Trump at the event, nodded and gave a faint smile as the president recounted the exchange.

The comments come as U.S. military operations against Iran continue following the launch of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28. The United States has been carrying out joint strikes with Israel targeting Iranian assets.

This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year

According to data from U.S. Central Command, American forces have struck more than 9,000 targets and damaged or destroyed over 140 Iranian ships since the operation began.

The conflict has resulted in casualties among U.S. forces. Thirteen American service members have been killed, and more than 200 have been wounded in the fighting.

Earlier Monday, just before the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange, Trump announced a five-day pause on planned attacks targeting Iranian energy infrastructure.

He said the decision followed what he described as “very good and productive conversations” with Iranian officials.

“We are now having really good discussions,” Trump said. “They started last night, a little bit the night before that.”

U.S. President Trump: “I called Pete, I called General Caine, I called a lot of our great people. We have great people. And I said, Let’s talk. We got a problem in the Middle East. We have a country known as Iran that, for 47 years, has been just a purveyor of terror, and they’re… pic.twitter.com/ObTuYSafz3

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 23, 2026

“They want peace to– they’ve agreed they will not have a nuclear weapon, you know, etc.,” he continued. “We’ll see. You have to get it done. But I would say there’s a very good chance.”

Warning: Account balances and purchasing power no longer tell the same story. Know in 2 minutes if your retirement is working for you.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.