Hegseth Claims Iran Victory in Press Conference as War and Impeachment Fight Continue

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the Trump administration’s military campaigns Tuesday morning, declaring that President Donald Trump had “kicked their teeth in” in Iran and promised that anyone pursuing American service members would have to “come through me.”

His account of decisive victories came amid continuing strikes against Iran that began in February, unresolved questions about the adversary’s nuclear program, and an impeachment effort put forth by a conservative examining the legality of his decisions.

During his first Pentagon news conference since May, Hegseth dismissed the eight impeachment articles introduced by outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) as a political spectacle motivated by personal grievances and policy disagreements.

“This is not patriotism. This is sabotage,” Hegseth said, arguing that congressional scrutiny would undermine military operations and embolden American adversaries.

But several of his claims of military success stand in contrast to conditions on the ground, including an Iran conflict surpassing its ninth month without any current negotiations for its conclusion. There remain ongoing questions about civilian casualties and lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers.

A Decisive Victory in a War That Continues

Hegseth celebrated Operation Epic Fury as a historic military victory, citing more than 13,000 targets struck during the initial campaign, extensive damage to Iran’s military infrastructure and the destruction of much of its nuclear industrial capacity.

“He did not kick the can. He kicked their teeth in,” Hegseth said of Trump’s decision to attack Iran.

American forces inflicted substantial damage during the opening campaign. The White House documented more than 10,200 sorties and 13,000 targets struck by April, including naval vessels, air defenses and missile infrastructure.

However, the war did not end with those operations. U.S. forces conducted additional airstrikes against Iranian defenses near the Strait of Hormuz as recently as Nov. 6, followed by reports of further attacks Nov. 9. Iran retains the ability to threaten regional targets, while American forces continue enforcing a naval blockade.

During questioning, Hegseth acknowledged that Iran would attempt to rebuild its military capabilities. That admission followed his assertion that the country’s defense industrial base had been largely destroyed.

He also insisted that the United States had not started the war, referring to decades of Iranian hostility. The current conflict, however, began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, 2026.

The Human Cost Behind the Victory Claims

Hegseth acknowledged 18 Americans killed in Operation Epic Fury, contrasting their deaths with the much larger American losses in Vietnam and Korea.

The broader Iran conflict has claimed at least 23 American lives, including noncombat deaths, while more than 860 service members have been wounded. Those figures reflect the continuing cost of operations beyond the initial campaign.

Military families have also faced consequences. Thirty Democratic lawmakers recently challenged the Pentagon over the treatment of Navy families evacuated from Bahrain, where Iranian attacks damaged U.S. military facilities.

Hegseth also rejected allegations that American forces had unlawfully targeted civilians, calling such accusations a slander against military personnel.

The Pentagon is nevertheless investigating a February strike on a girls’ school in Minab, Iran, that killed scores of children. A preliminary U.S. assessment indicated American forces were likely responsible, according to CBS News, potentially because outdated targeting information incorrectly identified the school as part of a military facility.

Investigators had not established deliberate targeting of civilians. An accidental strike can still raise questions about compliance with precautions required under the laws of armed conflict, including verification of targets and minimizing civilian harm.

Drug Boat Strikes and Claims of Lives Saved

Hegseth also defended Operation Southern Spear, claiming the military had destroyed more than 70 suspected drug-trafficking vessels, killed 218 alleged traffickers and reduced maritime smuggling by at least 65%.

He credited the campaign with saving thousands of American lives, although the Pentagon has not publicly established how many overdose deaths, if any, were prevented by the strikes.

The vessels targeted in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific are primarily associated with cocaine trafficking, while fentanyl—responsible for a large share of fatal American overdoses—generally enters through land routes from Mexico. The campaign’s effectiveness remains difficult to measure because traffickers can shift routes and methods.

Moreover, American overdose deaths were already declining before the military began striking suspected trafficking boats in September 2025. The latest annual figures showed a third consecutive year of declining deaths in 2025.

The administration maintains that the operations are lawful actions against designated terrorist organizations. Whether suspected drug trafficking establishes a legal basis for lethal military force, rather than arrest and prosecution, remains contested.

Impeachment Does Not Put Service Members on Trial

Hegseth repeatedly portrayed impeachment as an attack on the troops carrying out his orders.

“If they want to come for the warriors, they’re going to have to come through me,” he declared.

He warned that prosecuting him could lead to proceedings against the sailors and pilots who executed the operations.

Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Massie’s resolution, however, seeks to impeach Hegseth as a civilian Cabinet secretary. It does not charge service members with crimes or initiate criminal proceedings against them.

The allegations instead concern Hegseth’s responsibility for military operations, including three articles alleging violations of the War Powers Resolution, which limits unauthorized hostilities and establishes congressional notification requirements.

Under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, service members are required to obey lawful orders. Massie’s impeachment resolution targets Hegseth, not the service members who carried out his orders.

Even a separate criminal investigation would examine individual responsibility, including who authorized the strikes and what they knew about their legality.

Under the Pentagon’s Law of War Manual, troops can generally presume orders are lawful unless they are clearly illegal, while commanders can face liability for ordering or knowingly allowing war crimes.

Hegseth’s suggestion that investigating his decisions would place every participating sailor and pilot at risk of prosecution misrepresents how military criminal responsibility is determined.

His assurances that operations were ordered by the president and approved by attorneys do not independently establish their legality, nor would his promise to protect personnel eliminate any criminal responsibility established through separate proceedings.

The impeachment effort has also received support from veterans, including retired Army Maj. Richard Ojeda, a newly elected North Carolina Democratic congressman who called for Hegseth’s impeachment.

Congress Prepares to Consider Impeachment

Hegseth characterized the allegations as disagreements over successful policies rather than impeachable misconduct. He argued that legislation, debate and elections provide the appropriate remedies.

However, impeachment is itself a constitutional mechanism for examining alleged abuses of authority. The House can impeach federal officials by simple majority, while conviction requires a two-thirds Senate vote.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries endorsed the effort Sunday, while Trump has continued defending Hegseth and his military record. A House vote could occur this week.

Hegseth concluded by urging troops to ignore political criticism and continue their missions. Congress now faces allegations concerning the civilian decisions authorizing those operations, against the backdrop of a war that remains unresolved despite the secretary’s declarations of victory.

Trump also attacked Massie on Monday. Asked whether he had watched the congressman present the impeachment articles, Trump said he had not, then repeatedly called him a “stone-cold loser.”

When CNN’s Kaitlan Collins pressed him about the allegations of illegal conduct, Trump called her a “loser” as well, criticized her network’s ratings, and returned to claims of military victory without addressing the specific legal allegations.