Iran War: President Donald Trump just told the world who pushed him to pull the trigger

President Donald Trump announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was the first top administration official to support U.S. military attacks against Iran. Trump made this statement during a Safe Task Force roundtable in Memphis, Tennessee, where Hegseth was sitting beside him.

“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 said, according to The Hill, pointing to Hegseth’s early support for the military action. The operations began in late February and are now in their fourth week.

Hegseth has regularly held press briefings at the Pentagon, laying out U.S. military goals such as dismantling Iran’s ballistic missile program, reducing drone production, and weakening the country’s navy. Last Thursday, he declined to give a timeline for ending the operations, telling reporters that setting a fixed deadline would not be ideal. He said the U.S. is “very much on track,” with Trump deciding how and when the operations end.

Hegseth stood nearly alone in pushing for the Iran war as key figures around Trump urged caution

Not everyone in the administration was on board with the military action. Trump himself admitted that Vice President Vance, who has long been skeptical of foreign intervention, was less enthusiastic about the war. Vance has not spoken publicly about his reservations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles were also reportedly skeptical of the military action, putting them in line with Vance’s cautious position. Reports indicated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and media mogul Rupert Murdoch were among the key voices pushing Trump toward the conflict. 

Many are still trying to understand what Netanyahu’s true motivations behind the Iran war are, with some analysts pointing to regional energy interests as a key factor. The war has already caused notable departures within the administration. Joe Kent, who previously led the National Counterterrorism Center, became the first major Trump official to resign over the conflict last week, pointing to growing internal divisions over the military intervention. 

There are also signs that Trump may be stepping back from his Iran bombing stance, with recent reports suggesting a shift toward negotiations. During the same Memphis roundtable, Trump also announced good news for National Guard members. 

He said Hegseth had signed a directive ensuring that all National Guard members serving on the Memphis task force, as well as those in Washington, D.C., New Orleans, and various border security missions, will receive the same benefits as active-duty U.S. troops. “That’s not bad,” Trump remarked, as Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the crowd applauded the decision.