Pete Hegseth has sharply criticized both the media and America’s international partners, accusing them of suffering from ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ and asserting that the conflict in Iran has been a significant triumph.
The Defense Secretary lambasted journalists whom he accuses of hoping for President Trump’s failure, yet he expressed confidence that the American public holds a more informed perspective.
Hegseth also directed his ire at European allies, whom he described as ‘ungrateful,’ insisting that nations worldwide should express their gratitude to President Trump.
This outburst from Hegseth comes amidst a global economic strain caused by escalating oil prices, prompting central banks, including the Federal Reserve, to issue new inflation warnings.
Currently, gasoline prices have soared to an average of $3.90 per gallon, up from $2.90 just three weeks ago when the conflict started. The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial channel for about 20% of the world’s oil supply, remains obstructed by Iranian mines and missiles.
On Thursday, U.S. crude oil prices increased by 1.5%, while Brent crude, the international oil price standard, surged by 5.9%, reaching $114 per barrel.
Hegseth said that the war in Iran – which has so far killed 13 US troops and wounded 140 more across the Middle East – would not be like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan of the ‘foolish politicians like Bush, Obama and Biden.’
‘Yes, there are reporters in front of me, but they are not our audience today,’ the former Fox News host told a Pentagon briefing Thursday.
Hegseth at the Pentagon Thursday
Markets have taken fright after Iran struck a massive Qatar gas field in response to an Israeli attack – sending oil and gas prices spiking
A fireball rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in Beirut’s Bashoura neighborhood early on March 18
‘The media here wants you to think, just 19 days into this conflict, that we’re somehow spinning toward an endless abyss or quagmire. Nothing could be further from the truth.’
Hegseth’s briefing comes just hours after Trump ripped Israel for its unilateral action in strikes on an Iranian gas field which sparked a ferocious retaliation against America’s Arab allies and sparked market turmoil.
Trump accused Israel of ‘lashing out in anger’ and claimed that the US ‘knew nothing of the attack’ which resulted in the bombing of energy sites in Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Trump has previously asked Israel to refrain from strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, fearing soaring energy prices which have sparked turmoil in global markets and warnings of inflation at home.
America’s Arab allies were reportedly furious about Israel’s attack and the US failure to stop it.
Gulf allies demanded the Trump administration stop all US and Israeli strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Gulf officials said they feel as though Israeli strikes have left them vulnerable in the war.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday night, Trump threatened to ‘massively blow up the entirety’ of Iran’s South Pars gas field if it continues to target refineries.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a briefing amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, March 2
Hegseth holds a briefing with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, March 19
The interior of a destroyed apartment, with the Tel Aviv skyline visible in the background, following an overnight Iranian missile strike on March 19
Trump speaks to U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine as he departs the White House on March 18
‘Israel, out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East, has violently lashed out at a major facility known as South Pars Gas Field in Iran,’ Trump wrote.
‘The United States knew nothing about this particular attack, and the country of Qatar was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen.’
An Iranian official likened that developments to a ‘full-scale economic war.’
As tensions escalated, Trump appeared to draw a red line for Israeli attacks on the South Pars field before lobbing the massive threat against Iran.
‘NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field,’ Trump said.
However, if Iran decided to attack Qatar again Trump said all bets were off and he would unleash devastating force.
