Hegseth defends Iran strikes, dismisses impeachment push as political stunt

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defended the Trump administration's military actions in Iran, Venezuela, and Yemen as lawful and necessary, while declining to blame the Iran conflict for Republican midterm losses. He dismissed impeachment efforts against him as a political stunt. Hegseth refused to criticize Vice President JD Vance, who publicly identified the Iran war as the primary cause of the Republican Party's 2026 midterm defeat, citing economic fallout and rising energy prices. Hegseth echoed President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the Iran campaign was vital to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Representative Thomas Massie introduced a privileged resolution with eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, accusing him of violating the US Constitution and the War Powers Act by waging war without congressional authorization. Hegseth called the effort a "farce" and "sabotage," noting no Secretary of War has ever been impeached for lawful military operations.