U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a meeting at the Pentagon. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine's explanation of the Iran war's trajectory Monday, then attacked reporters for questioning the evolving timeline. After initially suggesting the conflict would last two weeks, the administration now indicates four weeks. Hegseth accused NBC of asking "gotcha" questions, insisting Trump has "all the latitude in the world" to adjust timelines as needed. He claimed Trump possesses abilities other presidents lack, including finding "opportunities and off ramps" while executing objectives on the U.S. timeline. Hegseth criticized former President Biden for not understanding military strategy. He dismissed reporters' questions about war duration as "games," praising Trump as "no better communicator" for expressing military intentions. The defense secretary's combative response reflected administration defensiveness over shifting war projections and escalating conflict duration estimates.
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