Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth stated throughout a press convention on Thursday that the world must be thanking President Donald Trump for combating this conflict towards Iran.
Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth holds a briefing with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees Basic Dan Caine on the Pentagon in Washington, March 19, 2026.
Evan Vucci/Reuters
He broadly characterised American’s European allies as “ungrateful,” saying they need to be amongst these thanking Trump for “the braveness to cease this terror state from holding the world hostage with missiles whereas constructing or making an attempt to construct a nuclear bomb.”
Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees Basic Dan Caine communicate throughout a information convention on the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on March 19, 2026.
Mandel Ngan/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
Hegseth described Iran’s present and former leaders, saying, “Their core industries [are] not metal or agriculture, tourism, their core industries are state-sponsored terrorism, proxy militias, underground networks, ballistic missiles and a violent, messianic Islamist ideology chasing some kind of apocalyptic finish sport.”
“A regime like that refusing to desert its nuclear ambitions is not only a regional drawback, it is a direct menace to America, to freedom and to civilization the world, the Center East, our ungrateful allies in Europe, even segments of our personal press must be saying one factor to President Trump, ‘Thanks,'” Hegseth stated.
